pastrami

the word 'pastrami' entered american english via yiddish, where it was 'pastrame'. the yiddish term was borrowed from romanian 'pastramă', a form of preserved meat. the romanian word itself likely derives from turkish 'pastırma' or greek 'pastón', both referring to salted and dried meat, with the greek term possibly rooted in the verb 'pássein', meaning 'to sprinkle' or 'to salt'. the journey of this word, from a method of meat preservation in the eastern mediterranean and balkans to a staple of the american deli, illustrates the cultural transmission of food through migration and trade.

this word is a loanword adopted as a single, unanalyzable unit in english.