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mous·sa·ka

(m-säkə, m′sä-kä)

A Greek dish consisting of layers of ground lamb or beef and sliced eggplant topped with a cheese sauce and baked.

[Greek mousakas and similar forms in other Balkan languages, all ultimately from Turkish musakka, a dish of eggplants and tomatoes braised under a layer of minced meat, from Arabic musaqqā, watered, made to drink (the dish being so called because water or broth is poured over the layer of meat, and the vegetables are braised in the meat broth or juices), passive participle of saqqā, to chill, derived from (iterative or intensive) of Arabic saqā, to water, give to drink; see šqy in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

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moussaka

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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