Why is "sesame" not pronounced as "se" and "same"?

Question

The word "sesame" is pronounced as "se" "suh" "mee", with 3 syllables.  Why is it not pronounced as "se" "same", with 2 syllables?

user121863 · Accepted Answer

The pronunciation is derived from the French original term which entered Middle English at the beginning of the 15th century:

1425; Middle English sisamie, from Middle French sisame, learned borrowing from Latin sīsamum, variant of sēsama, from Ancient Greek σήσαμον (sḗsamon, “sesame seed”),

(Wiktionary)

K-devlife10 · Answer

Due to its origin :

According to Oxford , sesame

Late Middle English: via Latin from Greek sēsamon, sēsamē; compare with Arabic simsim.

Why is "sesame" not pronounced as "se" and "same"?

2 Answers

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question