Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tamal

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.63 in modern English

Syllables: tamal
IPA

7

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Alternative form of tamale (Mexican food dish).

Example Sentences

"I fully recognize the excellence of the tamal of the gringos. It is a superb standby for picknickers, prospectors, camping-outers, school children, and factory lunches."
"Someone from Campeche may brag about a tamal made there with a salsa of guajillo chiles, axiote (a regional spice), jitomate..."
"Ask for Salvadoran crema to accompany whichever you choose; it's thick and somewhat akin to sour cream, and you'll get that much more pleasure from your tamal."
"For example, tamales have been around Knoxville for so long that they’re considered a local food, even though the tamal is an ancient Mayan idea."

Etymology

From Spanish tamal, from Nahuatl tamalli (“wrapped”).

Origin

Source language: Spanish

Word Breakdown

Root: tamal, tamalli

Inflected Forms

tamales (plural) tamals (plural, proscribed)

Synonyms

tamale

Questions

What does tamal mean?: Alternative form of tamale (Mexican food dish).
Where does tamal come from?: It is traced to Spanish.

How to pronounce tamal

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