couscous
Americannoun
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a North African dish consisting of steamed semolina, typically served with vegetables and meat.
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semolina in the form of tiny pellets or balls, produced by any of various methods and used in a number of different cuisines and dishes.
noun
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a type of semolina originating from North Africa, consisting of granules of crushed durum wheat
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a spicy North African dish consisting of steamed semolina with meat, vegetables, or fruit C17: via French from Arabic kouskous, from kaskasa to pound until fine
Etymology
Origin of couscous
First recorded in 1590–1600; from French, from Arabic kuskus, kuskusū, from Berber seksu
Explanation
Couscous is a North African food that's similar to pasta. It's made from semolina dough that's rolled into little balls and cooked. You might serve couscous with a spicy vegetable stew. Couscous is usually served with a sauce or stew on top of it — this dish is also sometimes called couscous. While semolina, a type of wheat also used in pasta making, is most common, couscous can also be made from millet, barley, and cornmeal. The history of this common staple food most likely goes as far back as the 10th century. Couscous comes from the Arabic kaskasa, "to pound."
Vocabulary lists containing couscous
English Food and Drink Words Derived from Arabic
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The Melting Pot: Food Words from Other Languages
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World Cuisine - Introductory
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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.
A newly minted New Yorker, I went out to dinner in Greenwich Village to a now-shuttered restaurant called Cookies and Couscous.
From Washington Post • Apr. 26, 2022
Couscous, he added, is the right side dish for this meal.
From Washington Times • Mar. 31, 2018
Kechiche's Couscous, five years ago, was a lovely and rich film, and anything from this director has to be of interest.
From The Guardian • Apr. 18, 2013
Arrange 2 cauliflower rounds, 2 cauliflower florets, 3 Curried Raisins, 4 Dehydrated Grapes, 4 Marcona almonds and a spoonful of Cauliflower Couscous around the Roasted Cauliflower.
From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2011
“Off to dinner now. Couscous and mahi mahi.”
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
