masa

noun

ma·sa | \ ˈmä-sə

How to pronounce masa (audio)

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Definition of masa

: a dough used in Mexican cuisine (as for tortillas and tamales) that is made from ground corn soaked in a lime and water solution also : masa harina

Examples of masa in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The city is home to scores of tortillerías, each of which put their own spin on those glorious rounds of masa or flour. — Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, "The 5 best shops to buy tortillas in San Antonio along Blanco from Hildebrand to Castle Hills," 7 Apr. 2021 Arcadio remembers seeing his great-grandmother slowly grind corn with two stones, then pat the masa into tortillas one by one with only her hands. — Janelle Bitker, San Francisco Chronicle, "Smoky, savory cochinita pibil rises from a Bay Area backyard pit," 5 Apr. 2021 Imagine a tamale made of green banana and root vegetable masa that is stuffed with savory meat or seafood, and then deep fried. — New York Times, "Von’s Essential Recipes," 22 Mar. 2021 Marked by its particularly juicy kernels, its flavor has historically been prized when making masa, the flour used to prepare tortillas. — Washington Post, "Six great whiskies from around the world," 11 Mar. 2021 Called Otra, this spot will present modern Mexican cooking with fresh masa as the driving force. — Janelle Bitker, San Francisco Chronicle, "The Bay Area's most anticipated restaurants opening this spring," 5 Mar. 2021 For Romero, that special item was his tabletop ½-horsepower grinder that transforms colorful kernels of corn into masa. — Sharyn Jackson, Star Tribune, "TPT's 'Relish' becomes a cooking show for the COVID era," 16 Feb. 2021 Sold via Instagram, his organic masa comes ready to be rolled out into tortillas. — Soleil Ho, SFChronicle.com, "Prison food is about more than ramen — in fact, it's much worse, a new Oakland report shows," 14 Dec. 2020 The $50 tamale kit, which makes about 30 tamales, includes two pounds of ready-to-use masa, 40 corn husks and 1 pound each of steak, chicken and sweet potato and cheese fillings, plus a side of salsa. — Los Angeles Times, "2020 was the year of the restaurant DIY meal kit. Here are 10 options to ring in 2021," 29 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'masa.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

16 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Masa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/masa. Accessed 19 Apr. 2021.

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