Meanings
plural shawarmas · alternative schwarma · alternative shaurma · alternative shawirma · alternative shoarma · alternative shwarma
- uncountableusuallyA Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap of shaved lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or a mixture of these.
Though shawarma is also made from lamb, beef and turkey, I’ve stuck with chicken, because there seemed more than enough possibility to explore with that alone, though much the same technique could be adapted for other meats.
2022 August 17, Felicity Cloake, “How to make the perfect chicken shawarma – recipe”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 03 Dec 2022
Origin
- Ottoman Turkishچویرمه“something that is spun or turned over”
- Arabicشَاوِرْمَا
- Englishshawarma
Borrowed from Arabic شَاوِرْمَا (šāwirmā), شَاوَرْمَا (šāwarmā), from Ottoman Turkish چویرمه (çevirme, “something that is spun or turned over”), verbal noun of چویرمك (çevirmek, “to turn over”) (modern Turkish çevirme and çevirmek).
More words from Arabic, Ottoman Turkish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic شَاوِرْمَا, شَاوَرْمَا
- شَاوِرْمَا (šāwirmā)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
- شَاوَرْمَا (šāwarmā)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Bengali শর্মা
- শর্মা (śorma)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Catalan xauarma
- xauarmaMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Chinese Mandarin 沙威瑪 /沙威玛
- 沙威瑪 /沙威玛 (shāwēimǎ)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Dutch shoarma
- shoarmaMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Esperanto ŝavarmo
- ŝavarmoMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Finnish shawarma
- shawarmaMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
French chawarma, shawarma
- chawarmaMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
- shawarmaMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
German Schawarma
- SchawarmaMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Greek γύρος, σαουαρμά
- γύρος (gýros)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
- σαουαρμά (saouarmá)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Hebrew שווארמה, שׁוּאַרְמָה
- שווארמהMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
- שׁוּאַרְמָה (shuarma)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
- שוורמה (shavarma)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Hindi शावरमा
- शावरमा (śāvarmā)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Japanese ギロピタ, シャワルマ
- ギロピタ (giropita)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
- シャワルマ (shawaruma)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Korean 샤와르마
- 샤와르마 (syawareuma)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Malay shawarma
- shawarmaMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Polish szawarma, szoarma
- szawarmaMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
- szoarmaMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Portuguese xauarma
- xauarmaMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Romanian șaorma
- șaormaMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Russian шаурма́, шаве́рма
- шаурма́ (šaurmá)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
- шаве́рма (šavérma)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
- шаверма́ (šavermá)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
- шаварма́ (šavarmá)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
- до́нер-кеба́б (dónɛr-kebáb)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Spanish shawarma
- shawarmaMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Swedish shawarma
- shawarmaMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Turkish çevirme, döner
- çevirmeMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
- dönerMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
- şavurmaMiddle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Ukrainian шаурма́, шаве́рма
- шаурма́ (šaurmá)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
- шаве́рма (šavérma)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Urdu شاوَرْما
- شاوَرْما (śāvarmā)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Yiddish שוואַרמע, שאַוואַרמאַ
- שוואַרמע (shvarme)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
- שאַוואַרמאַ (shavarma)Middle Eastern sandwich-like wrap
Cite this entry
shawarma. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shawarma
“shawarma.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shawarma. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shawarma,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shawarma.
Source: shawarma on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.