Hamburger Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (2024)

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Hamburger Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary? ›

Britannica Dictionary definition of HAMBURGER. 1. [count] : a flat, usually round cake of finely chopped beef that is cooked and served usually in a roll or bun. They served hot dogs and hamburgers at the cookout.

: a patty of ground beef. 2. : a sandwich consisting of a patty of hamburger in a split typically round bun.

What does “burger” mean in slang? In reference to another person, a burger is someone of poor quality: less that steak.

According to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards, hamburger meat may be designated either “hamburger,” “chopped beef,” or “ground beef.” It must be ground from fresh beef with no by-products or nonmeat extenders, but the USDA does permit the inclusion of loose beef fat and seasonings in meat ...

/ˈhæmˌbərɡər/ (also burger) 1finely ground beef made into a flat round shape that is then grilled, often served in a roll. Join us. Join our community to access the latest language learning and assessment tips from Oxford University Press!

Etymology and terminology

The term hamburger originally derives from Hamburg, the second-largest city in Germany; however, there is no certain connection between the food and the city.

The flipside of this association is that the hamburger is also a symbol of the corporate hom*ogenization of culture across the world, as well as a symbol of excess and gluttony. Of course, it's also an emblem of “traditional” masculinity, as well as childhood innocence and anti-intellectualism.

German emigrants to the United States brought Hamburg steak with them. It showed up on New York restaurant menus in the 1880s. Hamburgers became a sensation as sandwiches at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.

The Hamburger emoji 🍔 is also used in discussing popular foods and eating more generally.

After running out of their hot pork sandwiches at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, NY, Frank and Charles Menches mixed ground beef with spices and sold it between bread, naming it “the hamburger” after the city where the fair was held.

What is the official definition of hamburger? ›

noun. a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground or chopped beef, usually in a roll or bun, variously garnished. ground or chopped beef. Also called Ham·burg steak [ham, -burg steyk].

(informal burger); (UK also beefburger) a round, flat piece of ground beef, fried and usually eaten between two halves of a bread roll.

They actually get their name from Hamburg, Germany, home of a cut of beef called the Hamburg. steak that eventually evolved into what we now. consider hamburgers.

a round, flat piece of minced beef, fried and usually eaten between two halves of a bread roll.

beefburger burger cheeseburger. Weak matches. chopped beefsteak ground chuck ground round ground sirloin Salisbury steak.

“Burger” is a short version of “hamburger”. The word “hamburger” is used to name the sandwich version of the “hamburg steak”. The hamburg steak was mentioned in the Oxford English Dictionary from 1802 as a steak made of cured, smoked and minced beef.

Excellent question. The term 'hamburger' comes from Hamburg in Germany, where a minced beef style dish was first created.

Chloride shift. Chloride shift (also known as the Hamburger shift or Hamburger phenomenon, named after Hartog Jakob Hamburger) is a process which occurs in a cardiovascular system and refers to the exchange of bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻) and chloride (Cl⁻) across the membrane of red blood cells (RBCs).