Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

dolma

American  
[dawl-muh, -mah] / ˈdɔl mə, -mɑ /

noun

Near Eastern Cooking.
  1. a dish of tomatoes, green peppers, vine leaves, or eggplants stuffed with a mixture of meat, rice, and spices.


dolma British  
/ ˈdɒlmə, -mɑː /

noun

  1. a vine leaf stuffed with a filling of meat and rice

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of dolma

First recorded in 1885–90; from Turkish dolma “something filled, filling,” from the verb dolmak “to stuff, fill, be full”


Explanation

A dolma is a delicious savory filling wrapped in an edible leaf. One common type of dolma is made of seasoned rice wrapped in a green grape leaf. Tender grape leaves wrapped around a rice-based filling shows up in the cuisines of several different countries and cultures, including Syria, Armenia, Greece, Turkey, Iran, and Cyprus. The word dolma means "stuffed" in Turkish, from dolmak, "to fill." There is a wide variety of dolma, filled with meat, grains, fish, or fruit, and wrapped in cabbage or vine leaves, or stuffed inside a pepper, onion, or other hollowed-out vegetable.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

See Examples For:

We ate dinner at a family-style dolma restaurant where the food was sure to be fresh, the place having opened just the day before.

From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2022

The ambassador jokingly says, “We have three epic battles” in the region: “who makes the best tea, dolma and baklava.”

From Washington Post ● Mar. 19, 2021

The ambassador jokes when he says, “We have three epic battles” in the region: “Who makes the best tea, dolma and baklava.”

From Washington Post ● Feb. 24, 2021

We cook traditional food – dolma, souvla, kolokasi – but I always get Feray’s opinion on flavours.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 7, 2019

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com