Standard Lemma guide

jambalaya

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˌd͡ʒæmbəˈlaɪə/
  • /ˌd͡ʒʌmbəˈlaɪə/
  • rhymes with -aɪə
  • CMU ARPABET: JH AH2 M B AH0 L AY1 AH0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of various of rice-based dishes common in Louisiana Cajun or Creole cooking, most often with shrimp, oysters, chicken or ham.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

spicy Creole dish of rice and ham, sausage, chicken, or shellfish with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and celery

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: dish

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Louisiana Creole jambalaya.

Across languages

Translations

18 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: جَامْبَالَايَا (jāmbālāyā) — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • Catalan: jambalaia — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • Chinese Mandarin: 什錦飯 /什锦饭 (shíjǐn fàn) — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • French: jambalaya — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • German: Jambalaya — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • Greek: τζαμπαλάγια (tzampalágia) — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • Hebrew: גָ׳מְבָּלָיָה (jambaláyah) — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • Indonesian: jambalaya — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • Italian: jambalaya — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • Japanese: ジャンバラヤ (janbaraya) — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • Korean: 잠발라야 (jamballaya) — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • Louisiana Creole: jambalaya — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • Occitan: jambalaià — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • Portuguese: jambalaia — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • Russian: джамбала́йя (džambalájja) — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • Serbo-Croatian: jambalaya — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • Spanish: jambalaya — rice-based dish from Louisiana
  • Swedish: jambalaya — rice-based dish from Louisiana