Editing Hummus (section)

==Etymology and spelling==
The word ''hummus'' is {{langx|ar|حُمُّص|ḥummuṣ}} '[[chickpeas]]'.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Definition of hummus|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hummus|access-date=2021-01-08|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Lexico"/><ref>Maan Z. Madina, ''Arabic-English Dictionary of the Modern Literary Language'', 1973</ref> The full name of the prepared spread in Arabic is {{transliteration|ar|ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna}} 'chickpeas with tahini'.<ref>[[Claudia Roden]], ''The New Book of Middle Eastern Food'', 2008, {{isbn|0307558568}}, p. 68</ref> The colloquial Arabic word {{transliteration|ar|ḥummuṣ}} is a variant of the Arabic {{transliteration|ar|ḥimmaṣ}} or {{transliteration|ar|ḥimmiṣ}} which may be derived from the [[Aramaic]] language ({{lang|arc|חמצי|rtl=yes}} {{transliteration|arc|ḥemṣīn, ḥemṣāy}}<ref name="Nişanyan">{{cite web|access-date=2021-01-08|title=humus|url=https://nisanyansozluk.com/?k=humus2&lnk=1|website=Nişanyan Sözlük}}</ref>), corresponding to the [[Syriac language|Syriac]] word for chickpeas: {{transliteration|syc|ḥem(m)ṣē}}.<ref name="ahd">{{cite web|url=https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=hummus|title=American Heritage Dictionary Entry: hummus|website=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|access-date=27 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807153052/https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=hummus|archive-date=7 August 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The word entered the English language around the mid-20th century from the Arabic {{transliteration|ar|ḥummuṣ}} or via its [[Borrowing (linguistics)|borrowing]] for the name of the dish in {{langx|tr|humus}}.<ref>{{cite OED2|hummus}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Definition of hummus|url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/hummus|access-date=2021-01-03|website=[[Dictionary.com]]}}</ref>

Spelling of the word in English can be inconsistent, though most major dictionaries from American and British publishers give ''hummus'' as the primary spelling. Some American dictionaries give ''hommos'' as an alternative, while British dictionaries give ''houmous'' or ''hoummos''.<ref name=Peters>{{Citation|title=The Cambridge Guide to Australian English Usage|author=Pam Peters|year=2007|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-87821-0|pages=370|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nV8h0gnU1UEC&q=hummus+arabic&pg=RA1-PA370}}</ref><ref name="Lexico"/><ref name="ahd" />

The major British supermarkets use ''houmous''.<ref>{{Citation|title=Aldi Website Houmous entry|url=https://groceries.aldi.co.uk/en-GB/p-the-deli-houmous-200g/4088600003429|access-date=7 November 2021|archive-date=7 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107102014/https://groceries.aldi.co.uk/en-GB/p-the-deli-houmous-200g/4088600003429|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=LIDL Website Houmous entry|url=https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/chilled/meadow-fresh-houmous/p42171}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Sainsburys Website Houmous entry|url=https://groceries.https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/sainsburys-houmous-200g}}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Tesco Website Houmous entry|url=https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/255412675}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Waitrose Website Houmous entry|url=https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/essential-houmous/048783-24278-24279}}</ref>

Other spellings include ''homous'', ''houmos'', ''houmus'', and similar variants. While ''humus'' (as it is spelled in Turkish) is sometimes found, it is avoided as a [[Heteronym (linguistics)|heteronym]] of [[humus|humus, organic matter in soil]].<ref name=Peters/>