Meaning & use
tamarind
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The sticky brown fruit of a tropical tree, used in cooking to give a sour taste to food and drinks.
Grammar: Can be countable when talking about individual fruits, but usually uncountable when talking about the pulp used as an ingredient: add tamarind to the sauce.
Patterns
- tamarind paste
- tamarind sauce
- a tamarind tree
The recipe calls for two tablespoons of tamarind paste.
Tamarind gives the curry its slightly sour flavor.
She bought a bag of fresh tamarind at the market.
nouncountable
The large tropical tree that produces tamarind fruit, often grown for shade.
Grammar: Use it as a countable noun when referring to the tree itself: a tamarind grows quickly in warm climates.
Patterns
- a tamarind tree
- under a tamarind
A tamarind stood at the edge of the field, providing shade.
The tamarind is common in parts of Asia and Africa.
Word forms
| plural | tamarinds |
|---|
Common combinations
- tamarind paste
- Stir the tamarind paste into the hot water.
- tamarind sauce
- The fish is served with a sweet tamarind sauce.
- tamarind tree
- A tamarind tree grows in their backyard.
- fresh tamarind
- Fresh tamarind is sold in many Asian grocery stores.
- tamarind candy
- Children love the sour taste of tamarind candy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tamarindo
- The Spanish and Portuguese form of the word, used in some English-speaking communities and on product labels.
Commonly confused: tamarind or tangerine?
tamarind vs tangerine
A tangerine is a small orange citrus fruit; tamarind is a brown, sour pod used in cooking.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'tamarind' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Tamarind is commonly used as a souring ingredient, so 'tamarind paste' in soup is correct. Option A confuses tamarind with a citrus fruit; option C ignores that tamarind needs a tropical climate; option D wrongly describes it as a green vegetable.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tamarind”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.