tandoor

noun

tan·​door tän-ˈdu̇r How to pronounce tandoor (audio)
: a cylindrical clay oven in which food is cooked over charcoal

Examples of tandoor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Many restaurant versions cook the chicken in a tandoor, a traditional clay oven, which can take over an hour, not including several hours for marinating. Kate Williams, AJC.com, 13 Apr. 2026 Within the national park, the restaurant focuses on Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, like Aleppo chicken and 12-hour lamb shoulder tandoor. Forbes Travel Guide, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2026 Tandoori dishes are traditionally cooked in a tandoor, a hot clay oven popular in Indian and other South Asian cooking. Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 Mar. 2026 Malai Kofta, Aloo Baingan Marina Makkar mentioned these customer favorites on the 96-item menu: Chicken Tikka Masala ($16.95): Tender chicken breast pieces cooked in its signature tandoor, then simmered in a creamy tomato sauce. Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 16 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tandoor

Word History

Etymology

Hindi & Urdu tandūr, tannūr, from Persian tanūr, from Arabic tannūr

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tandoor was in 1840

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Cite this Entry

“Tandoor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tandoor. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.

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