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sesame

sesame

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

sesame , herb ( Sesamum indicum or orientale ) cultivated for its seeds since ancient times, found chiefly in the tropics of Africa and Asia. Sesame seeds, also called bennes or gingellies, are black or white and yield an oil that resists turning rancid. The oil (known also as teel oil) is used extensively in India for cooking, soap manufacture, food, and medicine and as an adulterant for olive oil. The seeds are also popularly added to cookies and other baked goods and are made into candy (e.g., benne cakes). Sesame was introduced by African slaves to the U.S. South, where it sometimes becomes a weed. The sesame was once credited with mystic powers. Sesame is classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Serophulariales, family Pedaliaceae.

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sesame

A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition | 2005 | | Copyright

sesame A tropical and subtropical plant, Sesamum indicum. Known as sim‐sim in East Africa, benniseed in west Africa, gingelly and til in Asia. Seeds are small and, in most varieties, white; used whole in sweetmeats, in stews, and to decorate cakes and bread, and for extraction of the oil, which is used as a seasoning. The seeds contain 60% oil, of which 15% is saturated and 45% polyunsaturated. It has a strong nutty flavour and is used more as a seasoning than a cooking oil. See also tahini.
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DAVID A. BENDER. "sesame." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAVID A. BENDER. "sesame." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-sesame.html

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sesame

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

ses·a·me / ˈsesəmē/ • n. a tall annual herbaceous plant (Sesamum indicum, family Pedaliaceae) of tropical and subtropical areas of the Old World, cultivated for its oil-rich seeds. ∎  (sesame seed) the edible seeds of this plant, which are used whole or have the oil extracted. ORIGIN: late Middle English: via Latin from Greek sēsamon, sēsamē; compare with Arabic simsim.

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sesame

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

sesame E. Indian plant, Sesamum indicum. XV (in early use hardly naturalized and appearing in various forms). — L. sēsamum, sīsamum, sēsama, -ima — Gr. sésamon, sēsámē. Since late XVIII the currency of sesame is due to translations of ‘The Arabian Nights’ from F. (sésame) and the trisyll. pronunc. to Gr. sēsámē.
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T. F. HOAD. "sesame." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "sesame." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-sesame.html

T. F. HOAD. "sesame." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-sesame.html

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sesame

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

sesame Tropical plant native to Asia and Africa. It is also cultivated in Mexico and sw USA for its oil and seeds, both used in cooking. An annual, it has oval leaves, small pink or white flowers, and seed capsules along the stem. Height: 61cm (2ft). Family Pedaliaceae; species Sesamum indicum.
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sesame

A Dictionary of Plant Sciences | 1998 | | Copyright

sesame See PEDALIACEAE.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "sesame." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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sesame

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

sesame •fumy, gloomy, plumy, rheumy, roomie, roomy, spumy •excuse-me • mushroomy • perfumy •Brummie, chummy, crumby, crummy, dummy, gummy, lumme, mummy, plummy, rummy, scrummy, scummy, slummy, tummy, yummy •academy • sodomy • blasphemy •infamy •bigamy, polygamy, trigamy •endogamy, exogamy, heterogamy, homogamy, misogamy, monogamy •hypergamy • alchemy • Ptolemy •anomie • antinomy •agronomy, astronomy, autonomy, bonhomie, Deuteronomy, economy, gastronomy, heteronomy, metonymy, physiognomy, taxonomy •thingummy • Laramie • sesame •blossomy •anatomy, atomy •hysterectomy, mastectomy, tonsillectomy, vasectomy •epitome •dichotomy, lobotomy, tracheotomy, trichotomy •colostomy • bosomy •squirmy, thermae, wormy •taxidermy

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