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Definition of tamale

tamale

/təˈmɑː.li/
ta · ma · le
Plural:tamales
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tamale Lexical Profile

tamale Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

North American A traditional Mesoamerican dish consisting of masa (a starchy, corn-based dough) that is often filled with meats, cheeses, fruits, or chilies, and steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper such as a corn husk or banana leaf.

Example

"We spent the entire afternoon making pork tamales for the family holiday gathering."

Word Nuance & Usage

In Spanish, the singular noun is 'tamal'; the standard English singular 'tamale' is a linguistic back-formation created from the plural 'tamales'.

• Rhymes for tamale

• Nearby Words

taloned
tam
tamable
tamale
tamandua
tamar
tamara

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed from Mexican Spanish 'tamal', which derives from the Nahuatl word 'tamalli', meaning 'wrapped'.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Tamale. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/tamale
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