tamale

noun

ta·​ma·​le tə-ˈmä-lē 

: cornmeal dough rolled with ground meat or beans seasoned usually with chili, wrapped usually in corn husks, and steamed

Examples of tamale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Barajas was previously a tamale vendor in the Mission District who, after a stint at the nonprofit food incubator La Cocina, opened a brick and mortar in Fruitvale. —John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2025

The iconic tamale vendors that normally dotted the sidewalks of the largely Mexican immigrant community were nowhere to be found. —Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2025

To raise money, the congregation is selling Christmas tamales and hosting a tamale-making class on Friday. —Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 10 Dec. 2024

Opened in 2023, the company’s flagship mercado is both a sprawling market and food court, offering churros, tamales, agua frescas, street tacos and more. —Lou Ponsi, Orange County Register, 27 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Mexican Spanish tamales, plural of tamal tamale, from Nahuatl tamalli steamed cornmeal dough

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tamale

• colley
• collie
• dolly
• folly
• golly
• holly
• jolley
• jolly
• lolly
• mollie
• molly
• ollie

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Kids Definition

tamale

noun

ta·​ma·​le tə-ˈmäl-ē 

: cornmeal dough rolled with ground meat or beans seasoned usually with chili, wrapped in corn husks, and steamed

Geographical Definition

Tamale

geographical name

Ta·​ma·​le tä-ˈmä-lā 

town in northern Ghana population 371,351