curry

1 of 3

verb (1)

cur·​ry ˈkər-ē How to pronounce curry (audio)
ˈkə-rē
curried; currying

transitive verb

1
: to clean the coat of (an animal, such as a horse) with a currycomb
2
: to treat (tanned leather) especially by incorporating oil or grease
3

see also curry favor

curry

2 of 3

noun

cur·​ry ˈkər-ē How to pronounce curry (audio)
ˈkə-rē
variants or less commonly currie
plural curries
1
: a food, dish, or sauce in Indian cuisine seasoned with a mixture of pungent spices
also : a food or dish seasoned with curry powder
2

curry

3 of 3

verb (2)

curried; currying

transitive verb

: to flavor or cook with curry powder or a curry sauce

Examples of curry in a Sentence

Noun We had chicken curry for dinner. The recipe calls for a tablespoon of curry.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Delicious with soft cheeses, curry dishes and other spicy Asian foods. Lana Bortolot, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 From tequila-marinated to curry paste-smothered, there are almost infinite ways to enjoy the humble chicken wing. Ellen Fort and Nicole Clausing, Sunset Magazine, 30 Jan. 2024 The point of all of this mass denial is to curry the votes of white people who resent racial equality and America’s changing demographics. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2024 That might not matter as the corporate-tech half of the once mighty HP empire tries to curry support for its biggest move ever. Dan Gallagher, WSJ, 11 Jan. 2024 Lunch consisted of multiple midday snacks that included small bowls of wonton noodles from Mak’s Noodle, a pineapple bun with butter at a cha chaan teng (Hong Kong–style diner), curry fish balls from street vendors, or egg tarts from Tai Cheong Bakery. Christina Liao, Vogue, 29 Nov. 2023 He’s also curried a certain level of idolatry from the contemporary American right. Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, The New Republic, 24 Oct. 2023 Located at the top of the Blackcomb Gondola, this mountaintop haunt has a seafood-forward menu but serves a bit of everything, from burgers to curry. Julia Eskins, Travel + Leisure, 3 Nov. 2023 If nothing else, the Pauls know how to curry that attention. Brady Brickner-Wood, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2023
Noun
The extensive menu ranges from Indian-Chinese fusion dishes to curries and classics from North and South India. The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 For breakfast and lunch, Café Umi offers a wealth of local dishes, such as a vivid array of fresh fruits, yoghurts and pastries for breakfasts and Maldivian tuna curry and hoppers for lunch. Angelina Villa-Clarke, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Molly Baz took the flavors a Thai curry and turned them into a Super Bowl staple. Ana Calderone, Peoplemag, 4 Feb. 2024 Rendang, officially recognized by the Indonesian government as one of the country's five national dishes, is a dry curry with chunks of beef braised in coconut milk and spice paste for up to five hours until only clumps of spice remain. The Indianapolis Star, 25 Jan. 2024 This cauliflower and coconut version sings with fresh flavours, without detracting from everything that is welcoming and familiar in a bowl of warm curry deliciousness. The Week Uk, theweek, 21 Jan. 2024 For me, a meal isn’t complete without a hunk of whole-wheat bread to dip into my soup, or a pile of brown rice to soak up my curry. Alice Callahan, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2024 More than two dozen restaurants within Fairfax City’s borders are participating in the week of discounts, including historic Old Town’s long-running Italian spot Bellissimo Restaurant, Jamaican chicken curry experts Jas & Fam Caribbean Flavor and even a pair of breweries. Adele Chapin, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024 And, of course, clingy sauces from some dishes — like red curry wings for example — may be difficult to rinse off. Erin Clements, Peoplemag, 10 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'curry.' 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

Verb (1)

Middle English curreyen, correyen, cunrayen "to clean and comb (a horse), treat (tanned leather)," borrowed from Anglo-French conreier, cunreier, curreier (continental Old French conreer) "to prepare, dress, equip, tidy up, clean and rub down (an animal), cure (herring)," going back to Vulgar Latin *conrēdāre, probably borrowed from Gothic garedan "to make provision for" (with con- con- replacing ga-), from ga-, perfective and collective prefix + -redan, going back to Germanic *rēđan- "to make provision for, decide" — more at read entry 1

Note: As with the related verb arraier, aroier (see array entry 1), the Anglo-French forms conreier, etc., show generalization of the tonic stem of the Old French verb. English has further modified the French word by shifting stress onto the initial syllable. In contrast with array entry 1, the more general meaning of conreier ("provide, equip") never entered English. — The presumption is that *conrēdāre was an early adaptation into spoken Latin of a word used by Goths recruited into or fighting alongside of the Roman army. The etymon is generally attested in Romance languages outside of Romanian: Old Occitan conrezar "to equip," conrear "to provide what is needed," Catalan & Spanish conrear "to cultivate (land)" (the Spanish word perhaps borrowed from Catalan), Italian corredare "to equip, furnish" (with an apparent reflex of open rather than close e).

Noun

Tamil kaṟi (or a cognate word in another Dravidian language)

First Known Use

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1824, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of curry was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near curry

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

curry

1 of 3 verb
cur·​ry ˈkər-ē How to pronounce curry (audio)
ˈkə-rē
curried; currying
: to rub and clean the coat of
curry a horse
currier noun

curry

2 of 3 noun
cur·​ry ˈkər-ē How to pronounce curry (audio)
ˈkə-rē
plural curries
1
2
: a food seasoned with curry powder

curry

3 of 3 verb
curried; currying
: to flavor or cook with curry powder
Etymology

Verb

Middle English currayen "to comb the coat of (a horse)," from early French correier "to prepare," probably from a Latin word of Germanic origin

Noun

from Tamil (a language of southern India) kaṟi "a spiced dish of food"

Biographical Definition

Curry

biographical name

Cur·​ry ˈkər-ē How to pronounce Curry (audio)
ˈkə-rē
John Steuart 1897–1946 American painter

More from Merriam-Webster on curry

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