mochi
UK[ˈməʊtʃi]US[ˈmoʊtʃi]
n
a japanese food made from short-grain glutinous rice that is pounded into a smooth, sticky, and elastic paste, often shaped into cakes or used as an ingredient in sweets.
Etymology
the word 'mochi' is a direct loanword from japanese, where 餅 (mochi) refers to the rice cake. the japanese term itself is derived from the verb 持つ (motsu), meaning 'to hold' or 'to have', likely referencing the sticky, cohesive nature of the pounded rice. entering english primarily in the late 20th century alongside growing global interest in japanese cuisine, 'mochi' retains its original form and culinary meaning. it exemplifies a simplex loanword where the entire unit carries the specific cultural and gastronomic concept without internal morphological analysis in english.
Analysis
the word is a direct borrowing from japanese and is not productively segmented using english or classical morphemes.
Examples
for dessert, we had strawberry ice cream wrapped in a layer of soft mochi.
making traditional mochi requires a special type of rice and a lot of physical effort to pound it.
you can find mochi filled with sweet red bean paste in many asian supermarkets.