tamal

See also: támal

English

Etymology

From Spanish tamal, from Nahuatl tamalli (“wrapped”).

Noun

tamal (plural tamales or (proscribed) tamals)

1. Alternative form of tamale (Mexican food dish).
   • 1911, Coffee and Tea Industries and the Flavor Field, volume 34, page 497:

     I fully recognize the excellence of the tamal of the gringos. It is a superb standby for picknickers, prospectors, camping-outers, school children, and factory lunches.

   • 2000, Bruce Geddes, Mexico, page 43:

     Someone from Campeche may brag about a tamal made there with a salsa of guajillo chiles, axiote (a regional spice), jitomate...

   • 2007, Robin S. Goldstein, Fearless Critic Houston Restaurant Guide: Brutally Honest Undercover Chefs and Food Writers Rate More Than 400 Places to Eat, page 314:

     Ask for Salvadoran crema to accompany whichever you choose; it's thick and somewhat akin to sour cream, and you'll get that much more pleasure from your tamal.

   • 2018, John Tullock, “What You Will Find in This Book”, in Appalachian Cooking: New & Traditional Recipes, New York, N.Y.: The Countryman Press, W. W. Norton & Company, →ISBN:

     For example, tamales have been around Knoxville for so long that they’re considered a local food, even though the tamal is an ancient Mayan idea.

Usage notes

The form tamal is preferred by some to tamale, as tamal is the Standard Spanish singular form while tamale is generally analyzed as a back-formation from the plural tamales, thus proscribed. Note however that tamale exists in Spanish dialect.

Synonyms

• tamale

Anagrams

• Malta, malta, talma

Cahuilla

Noun

támal (plural támlem)

1. mouth
2. tooth

Derived terms

• tamakéñish
• tamawet

Central Nahuatl

Noun

tamal

1. tamale.

Coatepec Nahuatl

Noun

tamal

1. tamale.

Guugu Yimidhirr

Noun

tamal

1. alternative spelling of dhamal

Ometepec Nahuatl

Noun

tamal

1. tamal

Pipil

Etymology

From Proto-Uto-Aztecan *tɨma. Compare Classical Nahuatl tamalli (“tamale”).

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): /ˈtamal/
• (Teotepeque) IPA^(key): /ˈtamaɬ/
• (Tacuba) IPA^(key): /ˈtaːmal/

Noun

tamal (plural tajtamal)

1. tortilla

   Nikwa ume tamal sejsenpa kwak nitakwa

   I eat two tortillas every time I have a meal

See also

• tashkal (tortilla made of tender corn)

Sambali

Noun

tamál

1. poison

Spanish

Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:

tamal

Wikipedia ^es

Alternative forms

• tamale (dialectal)

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Nahuatl tamalli.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /taˈmal/ [t̪aˈmal]

• Audio (Costa Rica):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: ta‧mal

Noun

tamal m (plural tamales)

1. (Central America, Mexico) tamal, tamale
2. (Central America, Mexico) bundle, clumsy package
3. (Central America, Mexico) embroilment, imbroglio

   Synonyms: embrollo, lío

4. (El Salvador, Nicaragua) thief
5. (Honduras, vulgar) vulva

Derived terms

• medir el agua a los tamales
• tamal pisque
• tamalería
• tamalero
• tamalito

Related terms

• nacatamal
• nixtamal

Descendants

• English: tamal, tamale

Adjective

tamal m or f (masculine and feminine plural tamales)

1. (Guatemala, figurative) fat (when referring to people)

See also

• hallaca
• huma, humita

References

• “tamal”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010

Further reading

• “tamal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024

Uzbek

Other scripts

Yangi Imlo
Cyrillic	тамал‍
Latin	tamal‍
Afghan Uzbek

Noun

tamal (plural tamallar)

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