Etymology

Cuisine; borrowed from 鮨, 鮓, 寿司, すし (sushi); the original Japanese meaning is not recognized in English.

Noun

1. An adopted quasi-Japanese delicacy of raw fish as sashimi (just thinly sliced raw fish without rice), sushi rolls (raw fish and/or vegetables, wrapped in sticky white rice, in turn wrapped in seaweed, then cut into several 1” pieces), or nigiri sushi (a oblong brick of white rice 2” x 1/2” x 1/2” with wasabi and a gourmet slice of raw fish on top).

   As he waited for more saki, he watcher her play with her sushi, taking each piece in her chopsticks, pushing aside the pickled ginger slices, delicately dipping each piece in the wasabi/soy sauce mixture on the side, then pinching her nose and closing her eyes before eating each bite.

2. A Japanese dish of vinegared, short-grained, sticky white rice with various other ingredients, usually raw fish, other types of seafood, or vegetables. It is prepared in various forms, including nigiri sushi (an oblong, bite-sized rice brick topped with wasabi and a gourmet slice of raw fish or another single high-quality ingredient), sushi rolls (rice and chopped ingredients wrapped as a log in a sheet of dried seaweed, then cut into bite-sized circular pieces), and temaki sushi (rice with multiple other ingredients held in a large crispy cone of dried seaweed).

Usage notes

To some English speakers, the common ingredient in sushi is raw fish, hence the definition that includes sashimi. To others, the common ingredient is sticky, short-grained rice, hence the definition that includes vegetarian dishes.