Pastrami Definition

Origin of Pastrami

• From Yiddish pastrame, from Romanian pastrama. That word is probably from Turkish pastırma, a variation of bastırma, "dried meat", from root *bas-, to press; the other possible origin of the Romanian word is the Greek παστώνω (pastono, "I salt"), from Ancient Greek παστός (pastos) (pastos, "sprinkled with salt", "salted"). The English spelling ending in -mi is probably from the influence of salami.

  From Wiktionary

• Yiddish pastrame from Romanian pastramă from Ottoman Turkish baṭdirma salted and seasoned air-dried beef equivalent to Modern Turkish pastırma, bastırma from verbal noun of bastırmak to press down, hold down causative of basmak to weigh upon, press (in reference to the pressing of the meat while curing it) from Old Turkic basmaq

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

• Yiddish pastrame from Romanian pastramă from Ottoman Turkish baṭdirma salted and seasoned air-dried beef equivalent to Modern Turkish pastırma, bastırma from verbal noun of bastırmak to press down, hold down causative of basmak to weigh upon, press (in reference to the pressing of the meat while curing it) from Old Turkic basmaq

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition