What does marinading mean?
Marinading is the process of soaking food in a seasoned liquid, usually before cooking it. The technique can add flavor and, depending on the ingredients and length of time, help tenderize meat, fish, poultry, or vegetables. A typical marinade contains some combination of oil, an acidic ingredient such as vinegar or citrus juice, herbs, spices, garlic, or a savory sauce. The phrase is especially common in cooking instructions, where it is often paired with a duration such as “overnight marinating” or “marinating time.” The word also has a less common second sense: the seasoned liquid itself. This usage overlaps with “marinade” but usually refers more directly to the activity of preparing food in such a mixture. Marinating is valued both for its practical effects and for the stronger flavor it can give food before heat is applied.
The process of soaking food in a seasoned liquid before cooking.
"Marinating the vegetables overnight improved their flavor."
This is the dominant sense and is usually used in cooking contexts.
The seasoned liquid in which food may be soaked before cooking.
"The fish was coated with the marinading before it was placed on the grill."
This sense is less common and is easily confused with the more usual word “marinade.”
The plural is uncommon because the word usually names a single process or an uncountable activity.
"The recipe offers several marinadings for different kinds of meat."
Marinading borrows its name from the sea, reflecting the word's Latin roots in the idea of something belonging to the water.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does marinading come from?
The word belongs to a family derived from Latin marinus, meaning “of the sea.” Through French and English, this root developed into words such as marine, maritime, and marinade. The English culinary term originally referred to a preparation in which food was steeped in a liquid associated with the sea or with seafood, before becoming the general term for soaking food in a seasoned mixture.
Related word forms
How marinading is actually used
As a noun, it most commonly names an action or process and is often used in the form “marinating time” or “overnight marinating.” The less common sense referring to the liquid itself is readily understood from context.
Easily confused with marinading
Marinading is the act of soaking food in a seasoned liquid, whereas a marinade is the liquid mixture itself.