sesame

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsɛsəmi/, /ˈsɛzəmi/ (UK); /ˈsɛsəmi/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English sisamie,^[2][3][4] borrowed from Latin sēsamum,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek σήσαμον (sḗsamon), also sēsámē,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} of Semitic origin,^[2][5] probably borrowed through Phoenician from Late Babylonian *šawaš-šammu (compare Akkadian šamaššammū “sesame”, literally “oil-seed”).^[3][4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The East Indian plant whose seeds yield oil, or its seeds (c. 1425 in Barnhart; c. 1440 in the OED).^[3][7][4]

Semantic evolution

Earlier English forms were sesam and sisamie.^[4][5] The modern three-syllable form spread after open sesame became known from the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, as translated from Galland's French version of the Thousand and One Nights (1722–85),^[4][7][3] in which the words magically open the thieves' cave.^[3][4] Open sesame has been used figuratively for any means of gaining admission or success since the late 18th century.^[4][3]

Timeline

• c. 1425 – the plant and seed.^[3][4]
• 1601 – sesame oil, sesame seed.^[7]
• 1722 – open sesame in a translation of the Arabian Nights.^[4]
• 1790s – open sesame used figuratively.^[4][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A tropical Asian plant, Sesamum indicum, bearing small flat seeds used as food and as a source of oil.
2. The seed of this plant, used to flavour bread and other foods.
3. open sesame A means of gaining access or achieving an aim.

Word family

• open sesame

Related words

• tahini
• benne

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press