"tempeh" meaning in English

See tempeh in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈtɛmpeɪ/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-tempeh.wav [Southern-England] Forms: tempehs [plural]
Etymology: From Indonesian tempe, from Malay tempe, possibly from Old Javanese tumpi (“a food made from starch and tempeh”), or Malay tapai (“fermentation”). Etymology templates: {{bor|en|id|tempe}} Indonesian tempe, {{der|en|ms|tempe}} Malay tempe, {{der|en|kaw|tumpi||a food made from starch and tempeh}} Old Javanese tumpi (“a food made from starch and tempeh”), {{der|en|ms|tapai||fermentation}} Malay tapai (“fermentation”) Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} tempeh (countable and uncountable, plural tempehs)
  1. An Indonesian food made from partially-cooked soybeans fermented by a fungus (either Rhizopus oligosporus or Rhizopus oryzae). Tags: countable, uncountable Coordinate_terms: tofu Translations (food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans): 丹貝 /丹贝 (dānbèi) (Chinese Mandarin), 天貝 /天贝 (tiānbèi) (Chinese Mandarin), tempé [masculine] (Dutch), sojakoek [masculine] (Dutch), tempeo (Esperanto), tempe (Finnish), tempeh [masculine] (French), Tempeh [neuter] (German), tempe (Indonesian), テンペ (tenpe) (Japanese), 템페 (tempe) (Korean), tempe (Malay), tempeh [masculine] (Polish), tempeh [masculine] (Spanish), เต็มเป (dtem-bpee) (Thai)

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "tempe",
      "tempe#Indonesian"
    ],
    [
      "tempe",
      "tempe#Malay"
    ],
    [
      "tumpi",
      "tumpi#Old_Javanese"
    ],
    [
      "tapai",
      "tapai#Malay"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "id",
        "3": "tempe"
      },
      "expansion": "Indonesian tempe",
      "name": "bor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ms",
        "3": "tempe"
      },
      "expansion": "Malay tempe",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "kaw",
        "3": "tumpi",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a food made from starch and tempeh"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Javanese tumpi (“a food made from starch and tempeh”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ms",
        "3": "tapai",
        "4": "",
        "5": "fermentation"
      },
      "expansion": "Malay tapai (“fermentation”)",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Indonesian tempe, from Malay tempe, possibly from Old Javanese tumpi (“a food made from starch and tempeh”), or Malay tapai (“fermentation”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tempehs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "tempeh (countable and uncountable, plural tempehs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
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        },
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        },
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        },
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          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Esperanto translations",
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        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
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        {
          "kind": "other",
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        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Japanese translations",
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        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Korean translations",
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        },
        {
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        },
        {
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          "source": "w"
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        {
          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
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        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Thai translations",
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        {
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          "orig": "en:Foods",
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        }
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      "coordinate_terms": [
        {
          "word": "tofu"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1960, Bwee-Hwa Yap, Nutritional and Chemical Studies on Tempeh, Cornell University, page 28:",
          "text": "Usually sporulation occurred when the tempeh had been exposed to air ( e.g. as the result of uncovering of the pan too frequently ) .",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              19,
              25
            ],
            [
              138,
              144
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1989, Dorothy R. Bates, The Tempeh Cookbook, Book Publishing Company, page 7:",
          "text": "Fresh or defrosted tempeh will keep 3 to 4 days in a refrigerator at 40°F, and at least 6 months or more in a freezer. When putting fresh tempeh into a refrigerator or freezer, don't stack the packages because heat from one package to another will encourage the culturing process to continue.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              35,
              41
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2015, Eka Kurniawan, translated by Labodalih Sembiring, Man Tiger, Verso, page 1:",
          "text": "The leaves were of use only to the tempeh factories, which collected them every night.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An Indonesian food made from partially-cooked soybeans fermented by a fungus (either Rhizopus oligosporus or Rhizopus oryzae)."
      ],
      "id": "en-tempeh-en-noun-0f-Ta6LW",
      "links": [
        [
          "Indonesian",
          "Indonesian"
        ],
        [
          "soybean",
          "soybean"
        ],
        [
          "ferment",
          "ferment"
        ],
        [
          "fungus",
          "fungus"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "lang_code": "cmn",
          "roman": "dānbèi",
          "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
          "word": "丹貝 /丹贝"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "lang_code": "cmn",
          "roman": "tiānbèi",
          "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
          "word": "天貝 /天贝"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "lang_code": "nl",
          "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "tempé"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "lang_code": "nl",
          "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "sojakoek"
        },
        {
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "lang_code": "eo",
          "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
          "word": "tempeo"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "lang_code": "fi",
          "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
          "word": "tempe"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "lang_code": "fr",
          "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "tempeh"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "lang_code": "de",
          "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "Tempeh"
        },
        {
          "code": "id",
          "lang": "Indonesian",
          "lang_code": "id",
          "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
          "word": "tempe"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "lang_code": "ja",
          "roman": "tenpe",
          "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
          "word": "テンペ"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "lang_code": "ko",
          "roman": "tempe",
          "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
          "word": "템페"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "lang_code": "ms",
          "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
          "word": "tempe"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "tempeh"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "tempeh"
        },
        {
          "code": "th",
          "lang": "Thai",
          "lang_code": "th",
          "roman": "dtem-bpee",
          "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
          "word": "เต็มเป"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɛmpeɪ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-tempeh.wav",
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      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tempeh"
}
{
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "tempe",
      "tempe#Indonesian"
    ],
    [
      "tempe",
      "tempe#Malay"
    ],
    [
      "tumpi",
      "tumpi#Old_Javanese"
    ],
    [
      "tapai",
      "tapai#Malay"
    ]
  ],
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        "2": "id",
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      },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ms",
        "3": "tempe"
      },
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      "name": "der"
    },
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "kaw",
        "3": "tumpi",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a food made from starch and tempeh"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Javanese tumpi (“a food made from starch and tempeh”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ms",
        "3": "tapai",
        "4": "",
        "5": "fermentation"
      },
      "expansion": "Malay tapai (“fermentation”)",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Indonesian tempe, from Malay tempe, possibly from Old Javanese tumpi (“a food made from starch and tempeh”), or Malay tapai (“fermentation”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tempehs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
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      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
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    {
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        "English entries with incorrect language header",
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        "English nouns",
        "English terms borrowed from Indonesian",
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        "English terms derived from Malay",
        "English terms derived from Old Javanese",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English uncountable nouns",
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        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
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        "Pages with entries",
        "Terms with Dutch translations",
        "Terms with Esperanto translations",
        "Terms with Finnish translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with German translations",
        "Terms with Indonesian translations",
        "Terms with Japanese translations",
        "Terms with Korean translations",
        "Terms with Malay translations",
        "Terms with Mandarin translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Spanish translations",
        "Terms with Thai translations",
        "en:Foods"
      ],
      "coordinate_terms": [
        {
          "word": "tofu"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1960, Bwee-Hwa Yap, Nutritional and Chemical Studies on Tempeh, Cornell University, page 28:",
          "text": "Usually sporulation occurred when the tempeh had been exposed to air ( e.g. as the result of uncovering of the pan too frequently ) .",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              19,
              25
            ],
            [
              138,
              144
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1989, Dorothy R. Bates, The Tempeh Cookbook, Book Publishing Company, page 7:",
          "text": "Fresh or defrosted tempeh will keep 3 to 4 days in a refrigerator at 40°F, and at least 6 months or more in a freezer. When putting fresh tempeh into a refrigerator or freezer, don't stack the packages because heat from one package to another will encourage the culturing process to continue.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              35,
              41
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2015, Eka Kurniawan, translated by Labodalih Sembiring, Man Tiger, Verso, page 1:",
          "text": "The leaves were of use only to the tempeh factories, which collected them every night.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An Indonesian food made from partially-cooked soybeans fermented by a fungus (either Rhizopus oligosporus or Rhizopus oryzae)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Indonesian",
          "Indonesian"
        ],
        [
          "soybean",
          "soybean"
        ],
        [
          "ferment",
          "ferment"
        ],
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          "fungus",
          "fungus"
        ]
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      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
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    }
  ],
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    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɛmpeɪ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-tempeh.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b3/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-tempeh.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-tempeh.wav.mp3",
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      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "lang_code": "cmn",
      "roman": "dānbèi",
      "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
      "word": "丹貝 /丹贝"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "lang_code": "cmn",
      "roman": "tiānbèi",
      "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
      "word": "天貝 /天贝"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "tempé"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "sojakoek"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "lang_code": "eo",
      "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
      "word": "tempeo"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
      "word": "tempe"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "tempeh"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "Tempeh"
    },
    {
      "code": "id",
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "lang_code": "id",
      "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
      "word": "tempe"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "roman": "tenpe",
      "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
      "word": "テンペ"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "lang_code": "ko",
      "roman": "tempe",
      "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
      "word": "템페"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "lang_code": "ms",
      "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
      "word": "tempe"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "tempeh"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "tempeh"
    },
    {
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "lang_code": "th",
      "roman": "dtem-bpee",
      "sense": "food made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans",
      "word": "เต็มเป"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tempeh"
}

Download raw JSONL data for tempeh meaning in English (6.1kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-10-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (1a05e46 and e3d6d4e). 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.