the word 'tahini' entered english in the late 19th century from modern colloquial arabic 'ṭaḥīna', which itself is derived from the root 'ṭ-ḥ-n', relating to grinding or milling flour. this arabic term is a nominal form based on the verb 'ṭaḥana', meaning 'to grind'. the journey of the word into english reflects the globalization of cuisine, specifically the adoption of middle eastern food items and their native names into the western culinary lexicon. the semantic logic is direct, as the word's arabic root precisely describes the process of grinding sesame seeds to create the paste.

this word is a direct loanword from a foreign language and is not productively formed from separable english morphemes.