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masa

American

[mah-suh, mah-sah] / ˈmɑ sə, ˈmɑ sɑ /

noun

Mexican Cooking.

flour or dough made of dried, ground corn, used especially for tortillas.

Etymology

Origin of masa

< Spanish: dough < Latin massa; see mass

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.

Tortilla chips are, at their core, fried masa, corn that’s been nixtamalized, ground, pressed and cooked, then finished with oil and salt.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026

For chicken nuggets, tortilla-based masa and jalapeño buttermilk coatings were the key.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 22, 2025

Steam flowed from the cart and the scent of masa drifted through the air as Chris, 14, reached down to pull out tamales.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 5, 2025

I just wish I had nailed the masa balls.

From Salon • Oct. 28, 2024

Aguirre sells memelitas, a masa snack filled with black beans, from a street corner near the tracks.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023