shawarma

Also shwar·ma

[shuh-wawr-muh]

noun

1. (in Middle Eastern cuisine)

   1. roasted meat, as lamb or beef, cooked on a spit.

   2. a dish consisting of this meat, served wrapped in pita bread with tahini or hummus.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shawarma¹

1950–55; < Levantine Arabic shāwurma, shāwirma, from Turkish çevirme “turn, rotation, meat roasted on a spit,” from çevirmek “to turn, rotate”

Example Sentences

At the local shawarma joint, the waffle fries — already some of the best I’ve had, thanks to sharing fryer oil with the falafel — arrive buried under ribbons of crisped meat, spoonfuls of tzatziki, feta and pickled vegetables.

From Salon

In a shopping plaza an hour outside Toronto, flanked by a day spa and a shawarma joint, sits a two-storey building with blue tinted windows reflecting the summer sun.

From BBC

New visitors found the sculpture—inspired by an Indian stepwell and sometimes likened to a wastepaper basket or a shawarma—encased in metal mesh, as if to keep out pigeons.

From Slate

We feasted on hearty bowls of soup, silky hummus topped with falafel, a shawarma wrap and a medley of delicious olives.

From Salon

The shawarma, he says, is perfect.

From BBC