Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An aromatic Maghrebi spice blend containing a great variety of ingredients, including dried rose petals and often cardamom or turmeric.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[Arabic ra’s al-ḥānūt, literally, head of the shop (because the blend contains the best that a spice shop has to offer) : ra’s, head; see rℵš in Semitic roots + al-, the + ḥānūt, shop (from Aramaic ḥānūtā, arched chamber, cell, shop, from ḥənā, to bend; see x̣ny in Semitic roots).]
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word ras el hanout.
Examples
Sorry, no example sentences found.
ruzuzu commented on the word ras el hanout
"In the past, ras el hanout sometimes included cantharides in its ingredients, for its aphrodisiac properties, but use of this ingredient in spice mixtures was banned in Morocco in the 1990s."
-- http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ras_el_hanout&oldid=531847207
January 28, 2013
bilby commented on the word ras el hanout
Ah, the intrigue of forbidden spices.
January 28, 2013