turmeric

From Middle English turmeryte, tarmaret, of uncertain origin. Possibly corrupted from Arabic كُرْكُم (kurkum, “Curcuma”). Others have theorized it might come from Old French terre mérite (“deserving earth”).

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtɜɹ.məɹ.ɪk/, [ˈtʰɝ.mɚ.ɪk], (nonstandard, sometimes proscribed) /ˈtuː.mə.ɹɪk/, [ˈtʰu.mɚ.ɪk]

• Audio (US)

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• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtɜː.m(ə).ɹɪk/, (nonstandard, sometimes proscribed) /ˈtjuː.m(ə).ɹɪk/, /ˈtʃuː.m(ə).ɹɪk/

• Audio (Southern England)

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• (Philippine) IPA^(key): /təɹ.ˈmɛ.ɾɪk/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)məɹɪk, -uːməɹɪk, -ɜː(ɹ)mɹɪk, -uːmɹɪk

turmeric (countable and uncountable, plural turmerics)

1. (botany) An Indian plant (Curcuma longa), with aromatic rhizomes, part of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae).
2. (cooking) The pulverized rhizome of the turmeric plant, used for flavoring and to add a bright yellow color to food.

   Synonym: haldi

3. A yellow to reddish-brown dye extracted from the turmeric plant.

   Synonym: E100

   turmeric:  

• curcumin
• golden
• kunyit
• haldi

• “termerite, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-25.
• Klein, Dr. Ernest, A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, Amsterdam: Elsevier Scientific Publishing Co., 1971.

• “turmeric”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• turmeric on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Curcuma longa on Wikispecies.Wikispecies