Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "hummus" come from? It comes from Arabic hummus, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "hummus" come from? It comes from Arabic hummus, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).
Hummus’s story begins in Arabic: hummus meant “chickpeas.” The Arabic word for chickpeas. It reached English by 1900s as hummus. Arabic 'chickpeas'; the full dish is 'hummus bi tahina'. Today, hummus means a dip or spread made from mashed chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and garlic.
- Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval hummus "chickpeas", the Arabic word for chickpeas.
- Stage 2 · English · 1900s hummus "a chickpea and tahini dip", Arabic 'chickpeas'; the full dish is 'hummus bi tahina'.