sesame

UK: /ˈsɛsəmi/ US: /ˈsɛsəmi/ ,(ses′ə mē)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ses•a•me /ˈsɛsəmi/   n. 

1. Plant Biology [countable] a tropical plant with small oval edible seeds that also yield an oil.
2. Plant Biology [uncountable] the seeds themselves, used as a flavoring.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ses•a•me  (ses′ə mē), n. 

1. Plant Biology a tropical, herbaceous plant, Sesamum indicum, whose small oval seeds are edible and yield an oil.
2. Plant Biology the seeds themselves, used to add flavor to bread, crackers, etc.
3. See open sesame. Also called benne (for defs. 1, 2).

• Greek sé̄samon sesame seed
• Latin sēsamum
• Greek sēsámē sesame plant Akkadian shamashshammū, derived from shaman shammī plant oil; replacing sesam, late Middle English sysane
• 1400–50

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

sesame / ˈsɛsəmɪ/ noun

1. a tropical herbaceous plant, Sesamum indicum, of the East Indies, cultivated, esp in India, for its small oval seeds: family Pedaliaceae
2. the seeds of this plant, used in flavouring bread and yielding an edible oil (benne oil or gingili)

Etymology: 15th Century: from Latin sēsamum, from Greek sēsamon, sēsamē, of Semitic origin; related to Arabic simsim