tahini

Where does the word "tahini" come from? It comes from Arabic tahina, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Tahini’s story begins in Arabic: tahina meant “ground sesame paste.” From tahana (to grind), a paste made from ground sesame seeds. It reached English by 1900s as tahini. Arabic 'ṭaḥīna', ground; the key ingredient of hummus. Today, tahini means a paste made from ground sesame seeds, used widely in Middle Eastern cooking.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval tahina "ground sesame paste", from tahana (to grind), a paste made from ground sesame seeds.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1900s tahini "a paste made from ground sesame seeds", Arabic 'ṭaḥīna', ground; the key ingredient of hummus.