Tannur
/təˈnʊər/noun
A large earthenware or masonry oven, especially one used for baking flatbread.
Did you know?Tannur is an ancient Near Eastern oven term preserved across several languages, including Arabic, Persian, and English, rather than a uniquely modern culinary invention.
Etymological Timeline
2nd millennium BCE
Akkadian
tinūru
“A cylindrical or pit-like oven used for baking and cooking.”
1st millennium BCE
Aramaic
תנורא (tannūrā)
“An oven or furnace, especially a clay baking oven.”
Classical Antiquity
Aramaic/Syriac
ܬܢܘܪܐ (tanūrā)
“A traditional oven for baking bread.”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
تَنُّور (tannūr)
“A clay or masonry oven, commonly used to bake bread.”
Medieval Persian
Persian
تنور (tanūr)
“A bread oven; a form also associated with the later word tandoor.”
19th Century
English
tannur
“A traditional Middle Eastern or South Asian oven, also spelled tannour or tanur.”
Modern English
English
tannur
“An earthenware or masonry oven used especially for baking flatbread.”