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The word calamari was borrowed into English from 17th-century Italian, where it functioned as the plural of "calamaro" or "calamaio." The Italian word, in turn, comes from the Medieval Latin noun calamarium, meaning "ink pot or "pen case," and can be ultimately traced back to Latin calamus, meaning "reed pen." The transition from pens and ink to squid is not surprising, given the inky substance that a squid ejects and the long tapered shape of the squid's body. English speakers have also adopted "calamus" itself as a word referring to both a reed pen and to a number of plants.
Examples of calamari in a Sentence
George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2024
However, dishes like salt-and-pepper calamari and laksa — a Malaysian spicy coconut noodle soup — are commonly found in pubs throughout the country.
—Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 16 Jan. 2024
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'calamari.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Calamari.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calamari. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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calamari
noun
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