mazapán

Two possible theories:

• From Old Spanish [Term?], from Andalusian Arabic بسمة, from Ancient Greek παξαμάδιον (paxamádion, “cookie”), with influence from masa (“mass”) and pan (“bread”).
• From Italian marzapane, thought to be derived from Arabic مَرْطَبَان (marṭabān, “spice box”), from Martaban (မုတ္ထမ (muthta.ma.)), a Burmese port known for its spice exports, with influence from Italian pane.

• IPA^(key): /maθaˈpan/ [ma.θaˈpãn] (Spain)
• IPA^(key): /masaˈpan/ [ma.saˈpãn] (Latin America, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -an
• Syllabification: ma‧za‧pán

mazapán m (plural mazapanes)

1. marzipan (confection made with almond paste, or another nut such as peanut)

• “mazapán”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024