samosa
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of samosa
First recorded in 1930–35; from Hindi samosā, from Persian
Explanation
A samosa is a tasty Indian dish, a little pocket of fried dough filled with spiced potato and peas. The next time you eat at an Indian restaurant, try some samosas as an appetizer. While samosas are usually associated with India, there are actually few regions of the world that don't have some version of the savory pastry as part of their cuisine. Many of these samosa relatives, from Tajikistan's sambosa to Somalia's sambuus, share an etymological root, the Persian word sanbosag. The earliest known printed reference to the samosa appeared in 11th-century Persian writing. Today samosas are easy to find — just check out the menu at any Indian restaurant!
Vocabulary lists containing samosa
The Melting Pot: Food Words from Other Languages
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World Cuisine - Introductory
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World Cuisine - Middle School and High School
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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.
See Examples For:
The theatre itself has also changed little, its vintage charm intact with counters serving steaming cups of tea and deep-fried samosa snacks.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2025
That said, in the spirit of celebrating Jewish food from around the world, he shared the Somali dish sambusa, a flaky deep-fried pastry something like a samosa, that can be filled with meat or vegetables.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2022
“Now I can treat myself with a samosa and get some rest.”
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2022
Another specialty is the samosa - known locally as a "samboza" - small triangular pastries filled with beef or vegetables.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2022
The second samosa had been eaten long ago.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
We humans eat seven fishes on Christmas Eve, samosas on Eid al-Fitr and maple cookies behind the moon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
Growing up, I’ve enjoyed my fair share of samosas, which are typically filled with spiced mashed potatoes and green peas.
From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2025
Their company sells hot chai, Indian street food like samosas, seasonal chai soft serve, along with bags of their chai blends and merchandise.
From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 2024
There will also be typical ballpark food in addition to South Asian cuisine including samosas.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 14, 2023
There are afternoons on the couch watching old Satyajit Ray movies, stuffing our faces with samosas.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
