halvah

American  

[hahl-vah, hahl-vah] / hɑlˈvɑ, ˈhɑl vɑ /

Also halva

noun

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

---

halvah British  

/ ˈhæləvɑː, ˈhælvɑː /

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of halvah

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

halvah

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.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2025

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

From Washington Times ● Dec. 12, 2023

Rabbi Bentziyon Pil’s storefront synagogue is easy to miss, just a corner shop with boxes of halvah stacked in the window.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2023

There is only one dessert, a soft-serve sundae with tahini-oat milk ice cream, toasted hazelnuts and a topping of halvah floss that swoops upward like the chef Anne Burrell’s hair.

From New York Times ● Sep. 21, 2021

Checking out at the counter one day, he noticed a brand of candy bars called Rapunzel; there were two types available, chocolate-covered halvah and coconut.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady