Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

sesame

Pronunciation: /ˈsɛsəmi/
Translate sesame | into German
Definition of sesame

noun

[mass noun]
  • a tall annual herbaceous plant of tropical and subtropical areas of the Old World, cultivated for its oil-rich seeds.
    • Sesamum indicum, family Pedaliaceae
  • (sesame seed) the edible seeds of the sesame plant, which are used whole or have the oil extracted.

Phrases

open sesame

a free or unrestricted means of admission or access:academic success is not an automatic open sesame to the job market
[from the magic formula in the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (see Ali Baba)]

Origin:

late Middle English: via Latin from Greek sēsamon, sēsamē; compare with Arabic simsim

Spelling help

Spell sesame with a single s in the middle; the ending is -me.

sesame in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of sesame in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

More words in this category

Word of the day

ludology

/ luːˈdɒlədʒi /
noun
the study of games and gaming, especially video games …