"masala" meaning in English

See masala in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /məˈsɑːlə/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-masala.wav Forms: masalas [plural], masale [plural]
Rhymes: -ɑːlə Etymology: Borrowed from Hindustani مصالحہ (maṣālḥa, maṣāliḥa) / मसाला (masālā, “spice(s)”), from Classical Persian مصالح (masālih, “affairs, materials, spices”), plural of مصلحت (maslahat, “affair, policy, best thing to do”), both from Arabic, derived from صَلَحَ (ṣalaḥa, “be fit, competent, usable”). Etymology templates: {{root|en|ar|ص ل ح}}, {{bor|en|inc-hnd}} Hindustani, {{der|en|fa-cls|مصالح||affairs, materials, spices|tr=masālih}} Classical Persian مصالح (masālih, “affairs, materials, spices”), {{der|en|ar|-}} Arabic Head templates: {{en-noun|~|+|masale}} masala (countable and uncountable, plural masalas or masale)
  1. Any of many blends of spices used in Indian cuisine, most often containing cardamom, coriander, mace together with pepper, nutmeg, fennel seeds, jeera etc. Tags: countable, uncountable Categories (topical): Food and drink
    Sense id: en-masala-en-noun-B9QZb6-p Disambiguation of Food and drink: 55 0 45 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 4 entries, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 48 22 30 Disambiguation of Pages with 4 entries: 51 23 26 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 47 25 28
  2. Any dish prepared with such spices. Tags: countable, uncountable
    Sense id: en-masala-en-noun-P76MOsod
  3. Any powder of ground ingredients, not necessarily used in cuisine. Tags: countable, uncountable Categories (topical): Food and drink
    Sense id: en-masala-en-noun-rAc~wV18 Disambiguation of Food and drink: 55 0 45
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: mussalla [obsolete] Derived forms: garam masala, masala chai, masala film, tikka masala

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "garam masala"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "masala chai"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "masala film"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "tikka masala"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "ص ل ح"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "inc-hnd"
      },
      "expansion": "Hindustani",
      "name": "bor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fa-cls",
        "3": "مصالح",
        "4": "",
        "5": "affairs, materials, spices",
        "tr": "masālih"
      },
      "expansion": "Classical Persian مصالح (masālih, “affairs, materials, spices”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Arabic",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Hindustani مصالحہ (maṣālḥa, maṣāliḥa) / मसाला (masālā, “spice(s)”), from Classical Persian مصالح (masālih, “affairs, materials, spices”), plural of مصلحت (maslahat, “affair, policy, best thing to do”), both from Arabic, derived from صَلَحَ (ṣalaḥa, “be fit, competent, usable”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "masalas",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "masale",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~",
        "2": "+",
        "3": "masale"
      },
      "expansion": "masala (countable and uncountable, plural masalas or masale)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "48 22 30",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "51 23 26",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 4 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 25 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "55 0 45",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Food and drink",
          "orig": "en:Food and drink",
          "parents": [
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2020, Avni Doshi, Burnt Sugar, Hamish Hamilton, page 3:",
          "text": "When she cooked, she reached out for bottles and masalas without glancing up.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Any of many blends of spices used in Indian cuisine, most often containing cardamom, coriander, mace together with pepper, nutmeg, fennel seeds, jeera etc."
      ],
      "id": "en-masala-en-noun-B9QZb6-p",
      "links": [
        [
          "blend",
          "blend"
        ],
        [
          "spice",
          "spice"
        ],
        [
          "Indian",
          "Indian"
        ],
        [
          "cuisine",
          "cuisine"
        ],
        [
          "cardamom",
          "cardamom"
        ],
        [
          "coriander",
          "coriander"
        ],
        [
          "mace",
          "mace"
        ],
        [
          "pepper",
          "pepper"
        ],
        [
          "nutmeg",
          "nutmeg"
        ],
        [
          "fennel",
          "fennel"
        ],
        [
          "seed",
          "seed"
        ],
        [
          "jeera",
          "jeera"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "We ordered two lamb bhunas and a masala.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Any dish prepared with such spices."
      ],
      "id": "en-masala-en-noun-P76MOsod",
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "55 0 45",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Food and drink",
          "orig": "en:Food and drink",
          "parents": [
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Any powder of ground ingredients, not necessarily used in cuisine."
      ],
      "id": "en-masala-en-noun-rAc~wV18",
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/məˈsɑːlə/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-masala.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8f/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-masala.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-masala.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8f/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-masala.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-masala.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɑːlə"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "word": "mussalla"
    }
  ],
  "word": "masala"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with irregular plurals",
    "English terms borrowed from Hindustani languages",
    "English terms derived from Arabic",
    "English terms derived from Classical Persian",
    "English terms derived from Hindi",
    "English terms derived from Hindustani languages",
    "English terms derived from the Arabic root ص ل ح",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "Pages with 4 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɑːlə",
    "Rhymes:English/ɑːlə/3 syllables",
    "en:Food and drink"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "garam masala"
    },
    {
      "word": "masala chai"
    },
    {
      "word": "masala film"
    },
    {
      "word": "tikka masala"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "ص ل ح"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "inc-hnd"
      },
      "expansion": "Hindustani",
      "name": "bor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fa-cls",
        "3": "مصالح",
        "4": "",
        "5": "affairs, materials, spices",
        "tr": "masālih"
      },
      "expansion": "Classical Persian مصالح (masālih, “affairs, materials, spices”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Arabic",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Hindustani مصالحہ (maṣālḥa, maṣāliḥa) / मसाला (masālā, “spice(s)”), from Classical Persian مصالح (masālih, “affairs, materials, spices”), plural of مصلحت (maslahat, “affair, policy, best thing to do”), both from Arabic, derived from صَلَحَ (ṣalaḥa, “be fit, competent, usable”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "masalas",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "masale",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~",
        "2": "+",
        "3": "masale"
      },
      "expansion": "masala (countable and uncountable, plural masalas or masale)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2020, Avni Doshi, Burnt Sugar, Hamish Hamilton, page 3:",
          "text": "When she cooked, she reached out for bottles and masalas without glancing up.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Any of many blends of spices used in Indian cuisine, most often containing cardamom, coriander, mace together with pepper, nutmeg, fennel seeds, jeera etc."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "blend",
          "blend"
        ],
        [
          "spice",
          "spice"
        ],
        [
          "Indian",
          "Indian"
        ],
        [
          "cuisine",
          "cuisine"
        ],
        [
          "cardamom",
          "cardamom"
        ],
        [
          "coriander",
          "coriander"
        ],
        [
          "mace",
          "mace"
        ],
        [
          "pepper",
          "pepper"
        ],
        [
          "nutmeg",
          "nutmeg"
        ],
        [
          "fennel",
          "fennel"
        ],
        [
          "seed",
          "seed"
        ],
        [
          "jeera",
          "jeera"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "We ordered two lamb bhunas and a masala.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Any dish prepared with such spices."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Any powder of ground ingredients, not necessarily used in cuisine."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/məˈsɑːlə/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-masala.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8f/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-masala.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-masala.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8f/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-masala.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-masala.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɑːlə"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "word": "mussalla"
    }
  ],
  "word": "masala"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-01 using wiktextract (eaedd02 and 8fbd9e8). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.