Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Japanese ·1960s
Sashimi
from 刺身 (sashimi)
- Meaning
- Thinly sliced raw fish served without rice.
- Source word
- 刺身 (sashimi)
- Route into English
- Japanese *sashimi* ("pierced body," referring to the decorative cut, or to an old practice of marking the fish species on the plate) → English via Japanese restaurants in the mid-20th century.
- Arrived
- 1960s
From Japanese
Two waves — Meiji-era diplomatic contact (1850s–1900s) and post-war US military presence (1945–) account for almost all Japanese loans in general English.
English borrows.
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