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suet

American  
[soo-it] / ˈsu ɪt /

noun

  1. the hard fatty tissue about the loins and kidneys of beef, sheep, etc., used in cooking or processed to yield tallow.

suet British  
/ ˈsjuːɪt, ˈsuːɪt /

noun

  1. a hard waxy fat around the kidneys and loins in sheep, cattle, etc, used in cooking and making tallow

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • suety adjective

Etymology

Origin of suet

1350–1400; Middle English sewet < Anglo-French *suet, equivalent to su-, sew (< Latin sēbum tallow) + -et -et

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.

“We were born in the Second World War, 1944 and we had rations — we were living on suet and you were living on steak here,” Daltrey said in his own interview.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2025

Skinfluencers have turned their attention to beef tallow, a rendered form of beef or mutton suet typically used in cooking.

From Salon • Jan. 25, 2025

Tan hopes that the mealworms, tiny balls of suet and sunflower chips she leaves on the patio will ensure more fledglings reach adulthood.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 30, 2024

One landing on a deck suet feeder is enough to startle anyone.

From Slate • May 27, 2023

"They want to hunt," agreed Gage the cook as he tossed cubes of suet in a great kettle of stew.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

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.