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tamale: msg#00004

culture.language.word-of-the-day

Subject: tamale

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It's May! Or is it "might"? Settle the dispute with our
Concise Dictionary of English Usage.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/book.pl?conusg.htm&6
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The Word of the Day for May 5 is:

tamale \tuh-MAH-lee\ noun
: cornmeal dough rolled with ground meat or beans seasoned usually with
chili, wrapped usually in corn husks, and steamed

Example sentence:
"As... the Swedish winter grew bitter and dark, I desperately needed
comfort food. Enchiladas and tamales would have done just fine." (Edward
Barrios Acevedo, Scripps Howard News Service, March 31, 2005)

Did you know?
How many English food words can you name that derive from Nahuatl, a group
of languages spoken by native peoples of Mexico and Central America? You've
probably guessed that "tamale" gives you one; it came to us (by way of Mexican
Spanish) from the Nahuatl "tamalli," a word for steamed cornmeal dough. Add to
the menu "chili" (from "chilli," identifying all those fiery peppers);
"chocolate" (from "chocolatl," first used for a beverage made from chocolate
and water); "guacamole" (from "ahuacatl," meaning "avocado," plus "molli,"
meaning "sauce"); and "tomato" (from "tomatl"). Top it all off with a word
that's new to our dictionary: "chipotle" (a smoked and dried pepper), from
"chilli" and "poctli" (meaning "something smoked").







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