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hummus

American  
[huhm-uhs] / ˈhʌm əs /
Sometimes hommos

noun

Middle Eastern Cooking.
  1. a paste or dip made of chickpeas mashed with oil, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini and usually eaten with pita.


hummus British  
/ ˈhʊməs /

noun

  1. a creamy dip originating in the Middle East, made from puréed chickpeas, tahina, etc

"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

Commonly Confused

See humus

Etymology

Origin of hummus

First recorded in 1950–55; from Turkish humus “mashed chickpeas,” or from Arabic ḥummuṣ, ḥəmmoṣ “chickpeas”

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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.

The table fills with supermarket vegetables, tubs of hummus, bags of chips, brownies purchased at the last minute.

From Salon

Sunday nights: an apartment overlooking the Pacific, Manchego and hummus, then down to the rec room for ping-pong.

From Los Angeles Times

A generous mound of hummus, swirled with the back of a spoon.

From Salon

The hostess usually puts on a nice spread: dips, fresh bread, cuts of ham and beef, Christmas tree-shaped chips with hummus and salsa cruda, mince pies, chocolate squares, etc.

From MarketWatch

These oils are gorgeous drizzled over hummus, whisked into salads, or stirred with za’atar for a simple, perfect dip.

From Salon