falafel

or fe·la·fel

[ fuh-lah-fuh l ]

/ fəˈlɑ fəl /

noun Middle Eastern Cookery.

a small croquette made with ground chickpeas or fava beans and spices, often served with salad and tahini in pita bread.

Nearby words

fakeer, faker, fakery, fakir, fal la, falafel, falange, falangist, falasha, falashas, falbala

Sometimes fa·la·fil.

Origin of falafel

1950–55; < Levantine Arabic falāfil, plural of filfil “pepper”; possibly from Persian pilpil, from Sanskrit pippalī “long pepper,” or from Aramaic pilpāl “small round object, peppercorn”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for falafel

Is falafel Israeli and can fried chickpeas have a nationality?
Watching Anthony Bourdain in Palestine|Maysoon Zayid|September 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Sure, some falafel places in Israel stuff a couple of french fries into the pita.
Is That It? Burger King’s French Fry Burger Is Just Carb Overkill.|Daniel Gross|September 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When Zohar and I met at a falafel joint around the corner, I told him about Linda's reaction.
Red Alerts At A Sderot Hair Salon|Orly Halpern|November 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for falafel

falafel

felafel

/ (fəlˈɑːfəl) /

noun

a ball or cake of ground spiced chickpeas, deep-fried and often served with pitta bread

Word Origin for falafel

C20: from Arabic felāfil

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