za'atar

noun

za'a·tar ˈzä-ˌtär

variants or less commonly zaatar

: a Middle Eastern spice blend made usually of dried herbs (such as thyme or marjoram), dried sumac (see sumac sense 3), and sesame seeds

Examples of za'atar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The casual restaurant serves pizzas on ciabatta crust, burgers, sandwiches, and starters like za'atar fries and Lebanese-style hummus. —

Emma Balter, Chron, 22 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'za'atar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Arabic zaʻtar, saʻtar, ṣaʻtar "any of various herbs (as Origanum syriacum or Thymus serpyllum), a mixture of these herbs with sumac and sesame seeds"

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of za'atar was in 1917

See more words from the same year