Masala
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Any of many blends of spices used in Indian cuisine, most often containing cardamom, coriander, mace together with pepper, nutmeg, fennel seeds, jeera etc. countable, uncountable
"A couple of vegetables, sambar (spicy and sour lentils and vegetables boiled with masalas and spices), rasam (a hot and fiery lentil soup-like dish) and curds (yoghurt) served with heaps of rice and eaten in that order. […] Basically, it’s a juicy naan bread with an egg coating, stuffed with mutton or chicken, rolled up and sprinkled with a unique masala that gives it its special flavor."
- 2 Any dish prepared with such spices. countable, uncountable
"We ordered two lamb bhunas and a masala."
- 3 Any powder of ground ingredients, not necessarily used in cuisine. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"Chicken tikka masala is now a true British national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences. Chicken tikka is an Indian dish. The masala sauce was added to satisfy the desire of British people to have their meat served in gravy."
Etymology
Borrowed from Hindustani مصالحہ (maṣālḥa, maṣāliḥa) / मसाला (masālā, “spice(s)”), from Classical Persian مصالح (masālih, “affairs, materials, spices”), plural of مصلحت (maslahat, “affair, policy, best thing to do”), both from Arabic, derived from صَلَحَ (ṣalaḥa, “be fit, competent, usable”).
Related phrases
More for "masala"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.