hibachi
UK[hɪˈbɑːtʃi]US[hɪˈbɑːtʃi]
n
A small, portable charcoal grill or brazier used for cooking food.
n
A dish of meat, seafood, and vegetables cooked on such a grill.
Etymology
The word 'hibachi' is a direct borrowing from Japanese, entering English in the late 19th century. In Japanese, 'hibachi' (火鉢) literally means 'fire bowl', from 'hi' (fire) and 'bachi' (a variation of 'hachi', meaning bowl or pot). Historically in Japan, it referred to a container for burning charcoal, used primarily for heating. When adopted into English, its meaning narrowed to focus specifically on the portable charcoal cooking grill, popularized in Western contexts for tabletop grilling of food. The journey from a general heating vessel to a specialized cooking appliance illustrates a semantic shift upon cultural borrowing.
Analysis
This word is a direct loanword from Japanese. It is not productively segmented into meaningful morphemes using English spelling conventions.
Examples
We cooked skewers of chicken and vegetables over the glowing coals of the hibachi.
The restaurant specializes in hibachi, where chefs perform impressive tricks while cooking at the table.
For the picnic, they brought a small hibachi to grill burgers.