# kebab

Pronunciation: US say "ki-BAHB" /kɪˈbɑb/; UK say "ki-BAB" /kɪˈbæb/; AUS say "kuh-BAB" /kəˈbæb/

## Noun

1. Any food, especially cubes of meat or vegetables, cooked on a skewer or spit. *(US)*
   - Simple: Pieces of meat or vegetables cooked on a stick over heat.
   - _She threaded chunks of beef and pepper onto each kebab before grilling._
   - _The caterer served vegetable kebabs alongside the grilled corn._
2. A dish made by roasting pieces of meat, fish, or vegetables on a skewer or spit, especially the type known as a doner. *(British)*
   - Simple: Pieces of meat, fish, or vegetables cooked on a stick or spit.
   - _He ordered a large doner kebab with garlic sauce after the match._
   - _Late-night kebabs are a familiar sight outside city pubs._
3. A handheld wrap of round, unleavened bread filled with pieces of meat roasted on an upright skewer, fresh vegetables, and sauces. *(Australia)*
   - Simple: Roasted meat mixed with vegetables and sauce, wrapped in flat round bread to eat by hand.
   - _He unwrapped his kebab and the garlic sauce ran down his fingers._
   - _They sell kebabs stuffed with shaved lamb, chopped salad, and chili sauce._
4. A restaurant or shop that specializes in selling kebabs.
   - Simple: A place where you can buy and eat kebabs.
   - _She works evenings at the kebab near the train station._
   - _Half the kebabs in town stay open past midnight._
6. A menu icon made of three vertical dots, used in software to reveal additional options.
   - Simple: A small button shown as three dots stacked up and down, used to open a menu.
   - _Users tap the kebab to reveal options such as edit, share, and delete._
   - _The designer tucked the rarely used tools behind a single kebab._
8. The outward-growing, plate-like portions that branch from the central core of a shish-kebab crystal structure.
   - Simple: The flat parts that grow out sideways from the central thread of a shish-kebab crystal shape.
   - _The kebabs nucleate along the shish and grow out perpendicular to it._
   - _Researchers measured how quickly each kebab thickened during crystallization._
9. A vulgar slang term for the vulva. *(slang, UK)*
   - Simple: A rude slang word for the vulva.
   - _He muttered something vulgar about her kebab and got thrown out of the bar._
   - _After a few drinks she joked that her bikini barely covered her kebab._
10. An offensive slang term for a Muslim, typically one of southern European, Middle Eastern, or North African descent. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A rude and hurtful name for a Muslim person.
   - _The mob jeered and called the shopkeeper a kebab as he locked up._
   - _Hateful posts dismissed the refugees as nothing but kebabs._

## Verb

5. To roast meat, fish, or vegetables on a skewer, in the manner of a kebab.
   - Simple: To cook meat or vegetables on a skewer over heat.
   - _She kebabed the shrimp and peppers before setting them over the fire._
   - _Many cooks kebab cubes of marinated beef for the barbecue._
7. To stab or pierce someone or something, as though running a skewer through it. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To stab someone or something, like pushing a stick through it.
   - _The swordfish thrashed across the deck and almost kebabbed the deckhand with its bill._
   - _A stray spear can kebab anyone standing too close._

## Origin

This word comes from Arabic كَبَاب (kabāb), reaching English partly through Urdu, Persian, and Turkish kebap. It is a doublet of cevapi.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/kebab (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).