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The word calamari was borrowed into English from 17th-century Italian, where it functioned as the plural of "calamaro" or "calamaio." The Italian word, in turn, comes from the Medieval Latin noun calamarium, meaning "ink pot or "pen case," and can be ultimately traced back to Latin calamus, meaning "reed pen." The transition from pens and ink to squid is not surprising, given the inky substance that a squid ejects and the long tapered shape of the squid's body. English speakers have also adopted "calamus" itself as a word referring to both a reed pen and to a number of plants.
Examples of calamari in a Sentence
Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2025
It will be redeveloped, probably to accommodate people who can hit a bucket of balls and have an appletini and some calamari before retiring to their new townhome.
—David Petitti, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
By Jenna Ryu The most famous renditions of seafood pasta contain protein sources like shrimp, clams, and calamari, but those options require a fair amount of work to prepare—and who has time to devein shrimp and scrub shells on a weeknight?!
—Audrey Bruno, SELF, 11 Apr. 2025
The taste test continues with calamari, which is served fried and in rings.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 12 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Calamari.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calamari. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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calamari
noun
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