sultana

[ suhl-tan-uh, -tah-nuh ]

noun

1. a small, seedless raisin.
2. a wife or a concubine of a sultan.
3. a sister, daughter, or mother of a sultan.
4. a mistress, especially of a king or other royal personage.
5. Also called old amethyst. a deep purplish-red color.

sultana

/ sʌlˈtɑːnə /

noun

1. 1. the dried fruit of a small white seedless grape, originally produced in SW Asia: used in cakes, curries, etc; seedless raisin
   2. the grape itself
2. Also calledsultaness a wife, concubine, or female relative of a sultan
3. a mistress; concubine

Word History and Origins

Origin of sultana¹

1575–85; < Italian, feminine of sultano sultan

Word History and Origins

Origin of sultana¹

C16: from Italian, feminine of sultano sultan

Example Sentences

“This is exactly how I felt when we unearthed a sultana’s hidden diadem too...”

From Literature

Aware that sultanas can be extremely poisonous to dogs, Laura called her vet straight away, who asked her to come into the surgery.

From BBC

“Those are not currants or sultanas or raisins in the scones,” he said when he handed me the bag.

From Los Angeles Times

Entering from the south, an alleyway of stalls selling sultanas, ersatz fashion and caged songbirds gave onto an arcade of butchers’ shops.

From Washington Post

We were actually doing all the currants that Tesco sold in their supermarkets - every packet was made by us: mixed fruit and sultanas.

From BBC

Related Words

• czar
• emperor
• king
• monarch
• shah
• sultan