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Glite Dictionary
spicy hiam

spicy hiam

7.9
A spicy sauce that adds heat and flavor to food
  • noun
translation icon : salsa hiam picante
  • She added a spoonful of spicy hiam to her noodles for extra flavor.

Examples

  • The chef prepared a spicy hiam to complement the grilled fish.

  • Do you want some spicy hiam on your noodles?

  • Many Southeast Asian cuisines feature at least one signature spicy hiam for added heat.

  • I love spicy hiam with my fried rice.

  • She added a spoonful of spicy hiam to her noodles for extra flavor.

  • The chef prepared a spicy hiam to complement the grilled fish.

  • I love spicy hiam with my fried rice.

Synonyms

hot sauce
vsspicy hiam
34 1.0

A spicy sauce made from chili peppers that people add to food for heat

is broader, covering any sauce or small dish used to enhance food
spicy dipping sauce
vsspicy hiam
2.5

A sauce that tastes hot from spices for dipping food like chicken or dumplings

is used more generally to add flavor, not only for dipping

Antonyms

mild-tasting
1 3.4

Having a gentle, not strong taste

Surface Forms

spicy hiam singular
spicy hiams plural

Morphology

spicy + hiam

The adjective 'spicy' straightforwardly modifies the noun 'hiam' to indicate a spicy variety of that sauce or dish, following a regular adjective+noun compositional pattern. Although 'hiam' is not listed in common English dictionaries (likely a loanword), a B1 learner who knows the meaning of both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The noun spicy hiam may come from kitchens where English spicy was joined with the local Chinese word hiam, a word cooks used for a strong hot or salty taste. Picture a jar marked hiam beside fresh chillies — that's why the phrase came to mean 'a spicy sauce or dish' today.