tamal - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (2024)

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

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...

     See Also

     The Magic History of the Tamale & How to Make them at HomeTypes of Traditional Guatemalan Tamales: From Savory to SweetGuatemala Health Care and Vaccinations10 Guatemalan Slang You Need to Know Before Visiting Antigua

   • 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[edit]

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[edit]

• tamale

Anagrams[edit]

• Malta, malta, talma

Cahuilla[edit]

Noun[edit]

támal (plural támlem)

1. mouth
2. tooth

Derived terms[edit]

• tamakéñish
• tamawet

Central Nahuatl[edit]

Noun[edit]

tamal

1. tamale.

Coatepec Nahuatl[edit]

Noun[edit]

tamal

1. tamale.

Guugu Yimidhirr[edit]

Noun[edit]

tamal

1. Alternative spelling of dhamal

Ometepec Nahuatl[edit]

Noun[edit]

tamal

1. tamal

Pipil[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

tamal (plural tajtamal)

1. tortilla

   Nikwa ume tamal sejsenpa kwak nitakwa

   I eat two tortillas every time I have a meal

See also[edit]

• tashkal (tortilla made of tender corn)

Sambali[edit]

Noun[edit]

tamál

1. poison

Spanish[edit]

Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:

tamal

Wikipedia ^es

Alternative forms[edit]

• tamale (dialectal)

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Classical Nahuatl tamalli.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /taˈmal/ [t̪aˈmal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: ta‧mal

Noun[edit]

tamalm (plural tamales)

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

   Synonyms: embrollo, lío

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

• English: tamal, tamale

See also[edit]

• hallaca
• huma, humita

Further reading[edit]

• “tamal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Uzbek[edit]

Noun[edit]

tamal (plural tamallar)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

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