tamarind
Americannoun
-
the pod of a large, tropical tree, Tamarindus indica, of the legume family, containing seeds enclosed in a juicy acid pulp that is used in beverages and food.
-
the tree itself.
noun
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a leguminous tropical evergreen tree, Tamarindus indica, having pale yellow red-streaked flowers and brown pulpy pods, each surrounded by a brittle shell
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the acid fruit of this tree, used as a food and to make beverages and medicines
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the wood of this tree
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tamarind
1525–35; < Medieval Latin tamarindus ≪ Arabic tamr hindī literally, Indian date
Vocabulary lists containing tamarind
English Food and Drink Words Derived from Arabic
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National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 2
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Southeast Asia - Middle School
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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.
Stephen suggested Kie-Gol-Lanee, our neighborhood Oaxacan restaurant, where the mole is rich, the tamarind margaritas are dangerous and the frijoles arrive with a bowl of chips that seem to disappear on their own.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
By the time you’re invited to nibble the pulp off seeds straight from a tamarind pod, a palate cleanser before dessert, you may have forgotten that the island you’re on is Manhattan.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
She immediately earned accolades, and not just for beers with Mexican flavors — tamarind, Mexican chocolate, chile.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2024
“I perceived a tamarind heaving up the earth,” he wrote, and he planted Hautboy Strawberries.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 10, 2024
After lunch I sat down under a tamarind tree and waited for Lice Peeking.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
