tomatillo
Americannoun
noun
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a solanaceous plant, Physalis ixocarpa , of South America
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Also called: green tomato. the greenish-purple fruit of this plant that is a staple in Mexican cuisine
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tomatillo
1910–15; < Spanish, diminutive of tomate tomato
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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.
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It includes breakfast sandwiches with slight uplifts - one comes with avocado and tomatillo along with egg and sausage - desserts such as filled donut-like pastries called McPops, and snacks including pretzel bites.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2023
Pizzas offered a perfect canvas, with the tomato sauce replaced by tomatillo, guajillo pepper or mole sauces.
From New York Times ● Aug. 9, 2022
To dip, three different salsas are included: a tomatillo salsa, a salsa fresco and a mild tomato puya salsa.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2022
I soaked up the spectrum of green salsas from emerald raw to the deeply acidic army green, cooked down with tomatillo.
From Salon ● Nov. 18, 2021
With his lanky legs and webbed feet, he looked like a tomatillo with toothpicks jutting out of it.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
At Dallas' luxurious Routh Street Cafe, Chef Stephen Pyles offers the ultimate in cross-cultural fare: lobster enchiladas with red pepper creme fraiche and caviar, and fillet of salmon with ancho chili tomatilloes.
From Time Magazine Archive
Angelica, seen at 15, picks tomatillos in the Santa Maria Valley.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025
Nawab highlights the contrast between the “fiery serrano chiles” and ingredients like tomatillos, juxtaposed with the earthy flavors and rich texture of the nuts, which balance beautifully.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2025
A portion of the liquid is pureed in a blender with tomatillos to make the salsa, while the turkey is reheated in the remaining liquid.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 25, 2023
West Valley U-Pick allows you to pluck more unusual crops such as tomatillos, assorted hot and sweet peppers, 20 varieties of tomatoes, table grapes, blueberries and other fruits.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 28, 2023
Among the burgers, my favorite remains La Hamburguesa, a patty accented with Oaxaca cheese, smoked tomatillos and a peanut salsa macha.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 28, 2022
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.
