Kimchi
/ˈkɪm.tʃi/noun
A Korean dish of salted and fermented vegetables, usually seasoned with chili, garlic, ginger, and other ingredients.
Did you know?Early kimchi was generally pale and chili-free; red-pepper seasoning became prominent only after chili peppers reached Korea from the Americas in the late sixteenth century.
Etymological Timeline
Middle Korean, 15th–16th Century
Middle Korean
딤채 (dimchye)
“An early recorded form associated with salted or preserved vegetables; its precise relationship to modern kimchi remains debated.”
16th–17th Century
Korean
팀채 / 딤채 (timchae/dimchae)
“Later historical forms connected with preserved vegetables and evolving pronunciation.”
17th–18th Century
Korean
김치 (gimchi/kimchi)
“The modern Korean name emerges through phonological change from earlier forms.”
18th–19th Century
Korean
김치 (gimchi)
“A general term for seasoned, salted, and fermented vegetable preparations.”
20th Century
English
kimchi
“An English loanword for Korean fermented vegetable dishes, especially napa-cabbage kimchi.”