A clarified butter made from cow or buffalo milk, commonly used in Indian and South Asian cooking.
From Hindi 'ghī,' derived from Sanskrit 'ghṛta,' meaning 'sprinkled.' The word traveled from Sanskrit through Hindi into English as British colonizers encountered South Asian cuisine.
Ghee is basically butter with all the water and milk solids removed, which is why it can be heated to very high temperatures without burning—it's one of the most shelf-stable fats in traditional cooking.
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