tamarind

[tam-uh-rind]

noun

the pod of a large, tropical tree, Tamarindus indica, of the legume family, containing seeds enclosed in a juicy acid pulp that is used in beverages and food.
the tree itself.

Origin of tamarind

1525–35; < Medieval Latin tamarindus ≪ Arabic tamr hindī literally, Indian date

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tamarind

Contemporary Examples of tamarind

Place the tamarind glaze in a squeeze bottle and drizzle decoratively over the top of the chop.
5 Iconic Recipes From an Iconic Chef
Emeril Lagasse
May 12, 2011

Historical Examples of tamarind

Tamarind, or some very acid sauce is used to impart to it some flavour.
British Borneo
W. H. Treacher
You must know that the tamarind was formerly a large tree, like the olive and walnut.
Italian Popular Tales
Thomas Frederick Crane
In South Malabar there is not as a rule any procession to the tamarind tree.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India
Edgar Thurston
She is sometimes, in addition, beaten on the back with tamarind switches.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India
Edgar Thurston
Again a movement, this time among the branches of a tamarind tree.
The Red Lure
Roy J. Snell

British Dictionary definitions for tamarind

tamarind

noun

a leguminous tropical evergreen tree, Tamarindus indica, having pale yellow red-streaked flowers and brown pulpy pods, each surrounded by a brittle shell
the acid fruit of this tree, used as a food and to make beverages and medicines
the wood of this tree

Word Origin for tamarind

C16: from Medieval Latin tamarindus, ultimately from Arabic tamr hindī Indian date, from tamr date + hindī Indian, from Hind India

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

Word Origin and History for tamarind

by c.1400, ultimately from Arabic tamr hindi, literally "date of India." First element cognate with Hebrew tamar "palm tree, date palm."