bhaji

noun

bha·​ji ˈbä-jē 

variants or less commonly bhajee

ˈbä-jē

or bhajji

ˈbä-jē

plural bhajis or bhajia ˈbä-jē-ə  also bhajias or bhajees or bhajjis

1

: an Indian food consisting of a small quantity of chopped vegetables that have been battered and deep-fried

… I find myself outside … a sort of Indian speakeasy; you can drink pretty much all night, as long as you're always within ten feet of an onion bhaji.

—David Nicholls, Starter For Ten, 2007

Alsana nodded and waited for two awkward-shaped bhajis to go down the gullet.

—Zadie Smith, White Teeth, 2000

The sound of a hawker selling bhajia rises from the street—onion and pepper and brinjal and potato.

—Manil Suri, The Death of Vishnu, 2008

On the street, outside the shop, a vendor was scooping out fresh bhajias from a wok.

—M. G. Vassanji, The Assassin's Song, 2008

2

: an Indian dish of fried or sautéed vegetables often in a curry sauce

I sniff at the one-pot bhaji. Nothing too startling—potatoes, okra, some tomatoes, chick-peas; Mom doesn't believe in messing a whole bunch of pots.

—Rachna Gilmore, A Group Of One, 2001

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Hindi, Marathi or Gujarati bhājī "fried greens, greens, vegetables," going back to Middle Indo-Aryan (Prakrit) bhajjiā- "fried vegetables," derivative of bhajjia- "fried," going back to Sanskrit bharjita-, verbal adjective from the root of bhṛjjati "(he/she) roasts"

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!