Hamburger

[ham-bur-ger] /ˈhæmˌbɜr gər/

noun
1.
a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground or chopped beef, usually in a roll or bun, variously garnished.
2.
ground or chopped beef.
3.
Also called Hamburg steak. a patty of ground or chopped beef, seasoned and fried or broiled.
/ˈhæmˌbɜːɡə/
noun
1.
a flat fried cake of minced beef, often served in a bread roll Also called Hamburger steak, beefburger
n.

1610s, “native of Hamburg;” the meat product so called from 1884, hamburg steak, named for the German city of Hamburg, though no certain connection has ever been put forth, and there may not be one unless it be that Hamburg was a major port of departure for German immigrants to United States. Meaning “a sandwich consisting of a bun and a patty of grilled hamburger meat” attested by 1912. Shortened form burger attested from 1939; beefburger was attempted 1940, in an attempt to make the main ingredient more explicit, after the -burger had taken on a life of its own as a suffix (cf. cheeseburger, first attested 1938).

noun

Related Terms

make hamburger (or hash or mincemeat) out of someone or something