condiment
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- condimental adjective
- condimentary adjective
- noncondiment noun
- noncondimental adjective
Etymology
Origin of condiment
1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French < Latin condīmentum spice, equivalent to condī ( re ) to season + -mentum -ment
Explanation
A condiment adds flavor to food. Ketchup and mustard are popular condiments. Most people use condiments when they eat. There are lots of salad dressings, and they're all condiments. If you put relish on a hot dog, that's a condiment too. Barbecue sauce and blue cheese are condiments as well. If it's an extra thing — especially a sauce like ranch dressing — and it makes food taste better, it's probably a condiment.
Vocabulary lists containing condiment
Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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"My English" and "How I Learned English"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 6–August 12, 2022
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Fermine, a full-time dishwasher at First Watch, said he likes his co-workers and breakfast tacos during his shifts, but could live without cleaning out the condiment cups.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
Marmalade has long been a quintessential British condiment, with some recipes handed down between multiple generations.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
Kraft Heinz said last year that it planned to split its condiment and grocery-staples businesses, before reversing course in February.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026
A convicted murderer in the state of Victoria has sued the prisons commissioner over his lack of access to the quintessentially Australian condiment.
From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025
Even the paper boat began to seem appetizing, glistening in his mind with leftover condiment and grease.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
