Shish Kebab
/ˌʃɪʃ kəˈbæb/noun
A dish of pieces of meat and vegetables grilled on a skewer.
Did you know?Shish kebab entered English through Turkish şiş kebap, while kebab ultimately traces through Arabic and Persian culinary vocabulary associated with roasting meat.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval period
Arabic
kabāb
“Roasted or grilled meat”
Medieval Persian
Persian
kabāb
“Roasted meat, especially meat cooked over heat”
Ottoman Turkish
Turkish
şiş
“Skewer or spit”
Ottoman Turkish
Turkish
şiş kebap
“Roasted meat on a skewer”
Early 20th Century
English
shish kebab
“A dish of meat grilled on a skewer”
Modern English
English
shish kebab
“Skewered meat, often grilled with vegetables”