sesame
Americannoun
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a tropical, herbaceous plant, Sesamum indicum, whose small oval seeds are edible and yield an oil.
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the seeds themselves, used to add flavor to bread, crackers, etc.
noun
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a tropical herbaceous plant, Sesamum indicum, of the East Indies, cultivated, esp in India, for its small oval seeds: family Pedaliaceae
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the seeds of this plant, used in flavouring bread and yielding an edible oil ( benne oil or gingili )
Etymology
Origin of sesame
1400–50; < Greek sēsámē sesame plant ≪ Akkadian shamashshammū, derived from shaman shammī plant oil; replacing sesam, late Middle English sysane < Latin sēsamum < Greek sḗsamon sesame seed
Explanation
If you pick a pod off a sesame plant and say “open sesame” like Ali Baba, you’ll get sesame seeds! People have been using sesame for its oil and seeds for over 3,000 years. That’s a lot of sesame bagels. Tiny sesame seeds are often used in baked goods, on sushi, to make oil, and in the Middle Eastern paste, tahini. The word itself is rooted in the Greek sesamon, "seed or fruit of the sesame plant." It's also been part of the well-known magical phrase, "open sesame" since Antoine Galland added it to the “One Thousand and One Nights.” in French: "Sésame, ouvre-toi!" Ali Baba uses it to open the forty thieves’ cave.
Vocabulary lists containing sesame
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.
She didn’t get the noodles, scallions or soy sauce for “cold sesame noodles.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Apart from poppy seeds, the product also contains sesame seeds, sea salt, minced garlic and minced onion.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
For this cold noodle dish from Gu Grocery, blend toasted sesame seeds with soy sauce, rice vinegar, pickled mustard greens, and orange zest and juice for maximum flavor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
There’s also plenty of ginger and soy sauce, sesame oil and vegetarian stir-fry/oyster sauce.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
From his pocket, he pulled out a small bag of sesame candy and offered Jinjoo one.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
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.
