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The word calamari was borrowed into English from 17th-century Italian, where it functioned as the plural of "calamaro" or "calamaio." The Italian word, in turn, comes from the Medieval Latin noun calamarium, meaning "ink pot or "pen case," and can be ultimately traced back to Latin calamus, meaning "reed pen." The transition from pens and ink to squid is not surprising, given the inky substance that a squid ejects and the long tapered shape of the squid's body. English speakers have also adopted "calamus" itself as a word referring to both a reed pen and to a number of plants.
Examples of calamari in a Sentence
Audrey Bruno, SELF, 11 Apr. 2025
The taste test continues with calamari, which is served fried and in rings.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 12 Mar. 2025
Main courses include potato gnocchi carbonara with prosciutto and roast tomatoes; Caribbean bouillabaisse with sofrito, shrimp, fish, calamari and shellfish with lime and chiles; lechon asado with steamed yuca, chicharrones and mojo de ajo and churrasco ropa vieja with rice, beans and plantains.
—Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2025
There the squid are dredged in potato starch and fried, the result similar to crispy calamari.
—New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Calamari.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calamari. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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calamari
noun
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