Dictionary

ghee en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ɡʰiː/ (South-Asia)
• /ɡiː/ (South-Asia, Western) without aspiration
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindustani گھی (ghī) / घी (ghī), traditionally explained as from Sanskrit घृत (ghṛta, “sprinkled”) (See घृत entry 3 for details). First attested in the late 17th century.

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) A type of clarified butter used in South Asian cooking.
   • Of the medicines for relaxing the body; ghee, oil, charbi, marrow, and such are to be used; of these ghee is the best, as it is produced from milk, which is obtained from the cow. 1845, T.A. Wise, Commentary on the Hindu System of Medicine, page 140:
   • A Hindu manual of erotology suggests boiled ghee, drunk in the morning, in the spring time, as a healthful, strengthening beverage. 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 104:
   • Employees furiously pack ornate boxes containing laddoos enriched with ghee, spongy rasgula and all manner of colorful sweets, often made with dairy, sugar and nuts and sometimes topped with a layer of edible silver foil. 2022 October 17, Priya Krishna, “It’s Not Diwali Without Mithai”, in The New York Times:
2. (South-Asia, uncountable, usually) Vegetable oil for cooking.
   • There are two kinds of ghee. Usli ghee or clarified butter is used rarely, partly because of its expense and partly because Indians consider it "heavy". The more commonly used ghee is a mixture of various vegetable oils. 1973, Madhur Jaffrey, An Invitation to Indian Cooking:

Forms

Relateds

clarified butter · butter oil

Synonyms

usli ghee

Translations (64)

bsh anū́ (South Asian-style clarified butter) · pl ghi (South Asian-style clarified butter) · ta நெய் (South Asian-style clarified butter) · ru гхи (South Asian-style clarified butter) · dra-okn ತುಪ್ಪ (South Asian-style clarified butter) · pa ਘੇ (South Asian-style clarified butter) · ru топлёное ма́сло (South Asian-style clarified butter) · ms gi (South Asian-style clarified butter) · he גהי (South Asian-style clarified butter) · ary سمن (South Asian-style clarified butter) · sw samli (South Asian-style clarified butter) · ja ギー (South Asian-style clarified butter) · pa ਘਿਉ (South Asian-style clarified butter) · txb peṣke (South Asian-style clarified butter) · wbk ënëvřë (South Asian-style clarified butter) · hi घृत (South Asian-style clarified butter) · ur گھی (South Asian-style clarified butter) · my ဂီး (South Asian-style clarified butter) · ne घिउ (South Asian-style clarified butter) · pt ghee (South Asian-style clarified butter) · fa روغن حیوانی (South Asian-style clarified butter) · ka ერბო (South Asian-style clarified butter) · acm دِهِن حُرّ (South Asian-style clarified butter) · th เนยใส (South Asian-style clarified butter) · ml നെയ്യ് (South Asian-style clarified butter) · pa گھے (South Asian-style clarified butter) · vi bơ sữa trâu lỏng (South Asian-style clarified butter) · mr तूप (South Asian-style clarified butter) · ms minyak sapi (South Asian-style clarified butter) · pa گھیو (South Asian-style clarified butter) · ask anā́ (South Asian-style clarified butter) · kn ತುಪ್ಪ (South Asian-style clarified butter) · bn ঘি (South Asian-style clarified butter) · id gi (South Asian-style clarified butter) · cmn 酥油 (South Asian-style clarified butter) · hi घी (South Asian-style clarified butter) · sv skirat smör (South Asian-style clarified butter) · rhg gíi (South Asian-style clarified butter) · tr sarı yağ (South Asian-style clarified butter) · arz سمنة (South Asian-style clarified butter) · fr ghî (South Asian-style clarified butter) · ks گؠو (South Asian-style clarified butter) · fi ghee (South Asian-style clarified butter) · id minyak samin (South Asian-style clarified butter) · mai घी (South Asian-style clarified butter) · as ঘিঁউ (South Asian-style clarified butter) · de Ghee (South Asian-style clarified butter) · ar سَمْن حَيَوَانِيّ (South Asian-style clarified butter) · fa گی (South Asian-style clarified butter) · fr ghee (South Asian-style clarified butter) · pa تِھنْدا (South Asian-style clarified butter) · te నెయ్యి (South Asian-style clarified butter) · si ගිතෙල් (South Asian-style clarified butter) · gu ઘી (South Asian-style clarified butter) · gu તૂપ (South Asian-style clarified butter) · sa घृत (South Asian-style clarified butter) · ne घ्यू (South Asian-style clarified butter) · as ঘিউ (South Asian-style clarified butter) · kok तूप (South Asian-style clarified butter) · pi sappi (South Asian-style clarified butter) · fi ghi (South Asian-style clarified butter) · pra-mah 𑀢𑀼𑀧𑁆𑀧 (South Asian-style clarified butter) · hi मक्खन (South Asian-style clarified butter) · bho घीव (South Asian-style clarified butter)

wikidata: Q323225