falafel

or fe·la·fel

[fuh-lah-fuh l]

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

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

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

Word Origin and History for falafel

falafel

by 1951 as a traveler's word, not common or domestic in English until 1970s; from Arabic falafil, said to mean "crunchy."