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gou·lash

(gläsh′, -lăsh′)

a. A stew of beef or veal and vegetables, seasoned mainly with paprika.

b. Any of various similar stews of mixed ingredients.

2. A dish of ground beef, macaroni, and onions covered in a seasoned tomato sauce and often mixed with melted cheese.

3. A mixture of many different elements; a hodgepodge.

[Hungarian, short for gulyáshús, literally “herdsman’s meat,” goulash, from gulyás, herdsman: gulya, herd of cows (perhaps of Northeast Caucasian origin and akin to Dargwa gula, cattle for fattening) + -s, occupational noun suff.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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