metate

noun

me·​ta·​te mə-ˈtä-tē How to pronounce metate (audio)
: a stone with a concave upper surface used as the lower millstone for grinding grains and especially corn

Examples of metate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The seeds get roasted, peeled by hand then ground up using the metate on the floor. Andrea Aliseda, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2023 While kneeling to twist the mano of the metate, the seeds are dragged across the curved surface to create a paste. Andrea Aliseda, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2023 Pasquier designed the delicate props, which include tiny metates, stone tools used to grind corn in Mexican food preparation. Manuel Mendoza, Dallas News, 20 Apr. 2023 For generations before the arrival of the mills, the grinding was done by hand on a sloped stone known as a metate. Joe Ray, Wired, 24 Feb. 2022 When the ingredients were properly roasted, Santiago transferred them to the metate for grinding. Michael A. Gardiner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Jan. 2023 The flat stone was most likely a metate, or grinding stone, placed there as part of a burial ritual. Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2022 Nearby rests a portable metate (mortar and pestle) that once belonged to her grandmother. Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2022 Don’t expect a discus of corn — these take their shape from a metate (a stone Mesoamerican tool for grinding corn). Cesar Hernandez, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'metate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from Nahuatl metatl

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of metate was in 1625

Dictionary Entries Near metate

Cite this Entry

“Metate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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