halvah

Also hal·va

[hahl-vah, hahl-vah]

noun

1. a sweet, candylike confection of Turkish origin, consisting chiefly of ground sesame seeds and honey.

halvah

/ ˈhæləvɑː, ˈhælvɑː /

noun

1. an Eastern Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, or Indian sweetmeat made of honey and containing sesame seeds, nuts, rose water, saffron, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of halvah¹

1840–50; < Yiddish halva < Romanian < Turkish helva < Arabic ḥalwā sweet confection

Word History and Origins

Origin of halvah¹

from Yiddish halva, from Romanian, from Turkish helve, from Arabic halwā sweetmeat

Example Sentences

The scent of jasmine blooms on a warm evening, the smell of fresh baked pandesal at the local Filipino bakery and the richness of halvah and spices at the Armenian corner store.

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The scent of jasmine blooms on a warm evening, the smell of fresh baked pandesal at the local Filipino bakery and the rich idris of halvah and spices at the Armenian corner store.

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In Israel, jelly doughnuts for Hanukkah are especially popular and are sometimes filled with chocolate or halvah.

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They rented a hall in a mosque, arranged white flower baskets and served trays of halvah, the traditional sweet served at funerals.

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Mine is topped with shredded halvah.

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