cook

The Word “Cook”: Meaning, Usage, and Translations Across 30 Languages

Meaning of “Cook”

The word “cook” can function as both a noun and a verb, with different but closely related meanings depending on its usage.

  1. As a Verb:
    To cook means to prepare food by applying heat. It involves the process of making food ready to eat through various techniques such as boiling, baking, frying, grilling, and steaming.

    • Example: “She loves to cook delicious meals for her family.”
  2. As a Noun:
    As a noun, a cook refers to a person who prepares food, either professionally or as part of daily household activities.

    • Example: “The cook prepared a feast for the guests.”
  3. Metaphorical Uses:
    The word cook can also have figurative meanings. For instance, it may refer to manipulating or altering information or events in an unethical way (e.g., cooking the books, which means falsifying financial records).

    • Example: “The accountant was accused of trying to cook the books.”

Usage of “Cook” in Different Contexts

  1. Cooking Food:
    “I like to cook spaghetti for dinner.” This use refers to the preparation of food through heating or combining ingredients.
  2. Professional Cook:
    “He works as a cook at a five-star restaurant.” This refers to a person employed to prepare food professionally.
  3. Cooking Techniques:
    “To make the soup, first cook the onions in olive oil until they are soft.” This refers to the specific action of applying heat to food.
  4. Metaphor (Dishonesty):
    “The executive was caught trying to cook the financial records to avoid taxes.” Here, cook is used metaphorically to describe fraudulent activity.
  5. Casual Cooking:
    “We need to cook something quick for lunch.” This refers to making a simple or fast meal.

Translations of “Cook” in 30 Languages

The idea of cooking food or preparing it for consumption exists across cultures, and the word for cook has equivalents in various languages. Below are translations of “cook” along with example sentences illustrating its use in different languages.

Language Translation Example Sentence
English Cook “I will cook dinner tonight.”
Spanish Cocinar “Voy a cocinar la cena esta noche.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
French Cuisiner “Je vais cuisiner le dîner ce soir.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
German Kochen “Ich werde heute Abend Abendessen kochen.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Italian Cucinare “Voglio cucinare qualcosa di speciale stasera.” (I want to cook something special tonight.)
Portuguese Cozinhar “Eu vou cozinhar o jantar hoje.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Russian Готовить (Gotovit’) “Я буду готовить ужин сегодня.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Chinese 烹饪 (Pēngrèn) “我今晚要烹饪晚餐。” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Japanese 料理する (Ryōri suru) “今晩は夕食を料理するつもりです。” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Korean 요리하다 (Yorihada) “저는 오늘 저녁을 요리할 거예요.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Hindi पकाना (Pakanā) “मैं आज रात खाना पकाऊंगा।” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Bengali রান্না করা (Ranna kora) “আমি আজ রাতে ডিনার রান্না করব।” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Turkish Pişirmek “Bu akşam yemeği pişireceğim.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Dutch Koken “Ik ga vanavond het diner koken.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Swedish Laga mat “Jag ska laga mat ikväll.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Norwegian Lage mat “Jeg skal lage mat i kveld.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Greek Μαγειρεύω (Mageirévo) “Θα μαγειρέψω το δείπνο απόψε.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Polish Gotować “Będę gotować obiad dzisiaj wieczorem.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Czech Vařit “Dnes večer budu vařit večeři.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Finnish Kypsentää “Aion kypsentää illallisen tänä iltana.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Hungarian Főzni “Este vacsorát főzök.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Hebrew לבשל (Levashel) “אני אבשל ערב היום.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Thai ทำอาหาร (Tham āhān) “คืนนี้ฉันจะทำอาหารเย็น.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Indonesian Memasak “Saya akan memasak makan malam malam ini.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Malay Memasak “Saya akan memasak makan malam malam ini.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Vietnamese Nấu ăn “Tôi sẽ nấu ăn tối nay.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Ukrainian Готувати (Hotuvaty) “Цього вечора я буду готувати вечерю.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Romanian Găti “Voi găti cina în seara asta.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Swahili Kupika “Nitapika chakula cha jioni leo.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Persian پختن (Pokhtan) “من امشب شام را پخته خواهم کرد.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Malayalam പാകം ചെയ്യുക (Pākam ceyyuka) “ഞാൻ ഇന്ന് രാത്രി ഡിന്നർ പാകം ചെയ്യും.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Tamil சமைத்தல் (Camaiththal) “நான் இன்று இரவு சாப்பாடு சமைப்பேன்.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)
Arabic طهي (ṭahy) “سأقوم بـ طهي العشاء الليلة.” (I will cook dinner tonight.)

The word “cook” has various uses, but its most common and universal meaning refers to the preparation of food through the application of heat. It can describe the act of cooking, a person who prepares food (a cook), or even be used metaphorically to describe manipulating or changing something for a specific purpose.

As seen in the translations across different languages, cooking is a fundamental activity with deep cultural significance worldwide. The process of cooking transcends mere preparation; it involves skill, creativity, and tradition, and is essential to bringing people together through shared meals. Whether you’re cooking in your home kitchen or working as a professional cook in a restaurant, the act of cooking holds a universal place in societies around the world.

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