Definition of TURMERIC

turmeric

Plural: turmerics

Noun

  • An East Indian herb, known for its yellow spice.
  • widely cultivated tropical plant of India having yellow flowers and a large aromatic deep yellow rhizome; source of a condiment and a yellow dye
  • ground dried rhizome of the turmeric plant used as seasoning
  • An Indian plant (Curcuma longa), with aromatic rhizomes, part of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae).
  • The pulverized rhizome of the turmeric plant, used for flavoring and to add a bright yellow color to food.
  • A yellow to reddish-brown dye extracted from the turmeric plant.

Examples

  • Playing TURMERIC added a golden hue to my Words With Friends score.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English turmeryte, tarmaret, of uncertain origin. Possibly corrupted from Arabic كُرْكُم (kurkum, “Curcuma”). Others have theorized it might come from Old French terre mérite (“deserving earth”).

Synonyms

Curcuma domestica, Curcuma longa, E100, haldi

Scrabble Score: 12

turmeric: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
turmeric: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
turmeric: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

turmeric: valid Words With Friends Word