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Definition of shishito
shishito
/ʃiːˈʃiːtoʊ/
shi · shi · to
Plural:shishitos
shishito Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
9
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A small, slender, and bright green variety of chili pepper from Japan, characterized by a mostly mild flavor with an occasional spicy one, often served blistered or pan-fried as an appetizer.
Example
"We ordered a plate of blistered shishitos tossed in sesame oil and flaky sea salt to start our meal."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for shishito• Rhymes for shishito
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 'shishitō', an abbreviation of 'shishitōgarashi', where 'shishi' means 'lion' and 'tōgarashi' means 'chili pepper'. The name refers to the tip of the pepper, which is said to resemble the head of a Japanese guardian lion.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Shishito. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 15, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/shishito