Definition of "barbecue" []

• A grill, pit, or outdoor fireplace for roasting meat. (noun)
• A whole animal carcass or section thereof roasted or broiled over an open fire or on a spit. (noun)
• A social gathering, usually held outdoors, at which food is cooked over an open flame. (noun)
• To roast, broil, or grill (meat or seafood) over live coals or an open fire, often basting with a seasoned sauce. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I believe that one of the candidates for the Senate there has made it part of his platform. the word barbecue comes from the Spanish word barbacoa which in turns comes from the Arawak"
• "The term barbecue comes via the Spanish barbacoa from the West Indies, and a Taino word that meant a framework of green sticks suspended on corner posts, on which meat, fish, and other foods were laid and cooked in the open over fire and coals."
• "Because for some, using the term barbecue to refer to grilled things is just so freaking incorrect."