Dictionary.com



sesame

sesame


ses·a·me    Audio Help   (sěs'ə-mē)   

n.   In both senses also called benne, til1.

  1. A tropical Asian plant (Sesamum indicum) bearing small flat seeds used as food and as a source of oil.

  2. The seed of this plant.


[Middle English sisamie, from Latin sēsamum, from Greek sēsamē, sēsamon, probably ultimately from Akkadian šamaššammū : šamnu, oil; see šmn in Semitic roots + šammu, plant; see šmm in Semitic roots.]
(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.