satay
UK[ˈsæteɪ]US[ˈsɑːteɪ]
n
A Southeast Asian dish consisting of small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer and served with a spicy sauce.
Etymology
The word 'satay' entered English from Malay and Indonesian, where it is spelled 'sate'. Its ultimate origin is likely from Tamil, from the word 'catai' meaning 'flesh'. The dish and its name spread throughout the Malay Archipelago and into global cuisine via trade and cultural exchange. In English, it retains its original culinary reference but is phonetically adapted, with the final '-y' likely added to suggest a familiar noun ending. The term exemplifies how a specific cultural artifact carries its native name into the borrowing language as an unanalyzed whole.
Analysis
This word is a loanword from Malay/Indonesian. It is not productively formed from separable English morphemes and is therefore treated as a simplex unit.
Examples
We ordered chicken satay with peanut sauce as an appetizer.
The street vendor's satay was grilled over hot charcoal.
Satay is often considered the national dish of Indonesia.