salami

American  

[suh-lah-mee] / səˈlɑ mi /

noun

salamis plural

1. a kind of sausage, originally Italian, often flavored with garlic.

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salami British  

/ səˈlɑːmɪ /

noun

1. a highly seasoned type of sausage, usually flavoured with garlic

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• salamis
  plural

Etymology

Origin of salami

1850–55; < Italian, plural of salame < Vulgar Latin *salāmen, equivalent to *salā ( re ) to salt + Latin -men noun suffix; see sal

Explanation

Salami is a type of cured sausage that's very common in sandwiches. This slightly spicy, salty meat is almost always served thinly sliced and is rarely heated or cooked. Salami is traditionally made from dried and fermented beef or pork, and seasoned with white pepper, garlic, salt, and herbs. It's a popular sandwich ingredient, as it's easy to slice and tastes great cold. The word salami is the plural form of the Italian salame, "spiced pork sausage," from the Latin root sal, or "salt."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

salami salamis

An arbitration panel ruled in his favor, and awarded him a whopping $4.25 million in a case that’s become known as “the salami incident.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

"I'm going to make pigs in blankets but wrap them in salami instead of bacon, and we'll add a couple of Yorkshire puddings," he said.

From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2025

Either way, you’re in for a salami treat.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025

“Exactly,” Hilton continued, explaining how his family had a salami business in Hungary and he had gotten his hands plenty dirty in the past, “doing every aspect of making sausage, including killing the pigs.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2025

“Well, why would you do that when I went grocery shopping this morning? I’ll make salami sandwiches. Or there’s some leftover chicken spaghetti casserole, too.”

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

This trio showcases three of their standout dry-aged salamis, each one worthy of its own moment.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025

There are also cooked salamis and soft cured salmis.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 26, 2023

Inventory management was a serious issue, our backpacks stuffed with first-aid kits, bread and salamis, just like in the game.

From The Verge ● Apr. 29, 2021

Clusters of salamis and ham hang from racks, and the bar is backed by rows and rows of wood-and-glass cabinets that are filled with dusty bottles.

From New York Times ● Jan. 16, 2020

“I have the passion of cooking, pickling, curing salamis, sausage, making wine in the fall. This is my life. I do this with my friends. It’s to my heart.”

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan