couscous

IPA/ˈkʊskʊs/
IPA/ˈkʊskʊs/

couscous — noun

1. tiny, soft grains made by steaming crushed wheat; a traditional dish from North

1.nounB1
Definition

tiny, soft grains made by steaming crushed wheat; a traditional dish from North Africa that is commonly eaten with meat stew and vegetables

Example

Kabir served lamb stew over a bed of fluffy couscous for dinner.

collocation: fluffy couscous

Hao learned to make couscous from his grandmother who grew up in Morocco.

Common collocations
  • fluffy couscous
  • season the couscous
  • serve couscous with
  • a bed of couscous
  • make couscous

Usage Note

Always uncountable; use 'some couscous' or 'a bowl of couscous' rather than 'a couscous.'

Common Mistakes

I bought a couscous from the store.
I bought some couscous from the store.
couscous is an uncountable noun; never use 'a' directly before it.

Etymology

BerberArabicFrenchEnglish

Couscous entered English through French couscous, which came from Arabic kuskus, ultimately from the Berber word seksu meaning 'rolled, rounded, or well-formed' — a reference to how the wheat grains are rolled into tiny pellets by hand.