The South Asian food word curry first appeared in English in 1598. The early English form was recorded during a period of expanding trade between England and South Asia.
The word is generally linked to South Indian Dravidian terms such as Tamil kari, which can refer to a sauce, relish, or seasoned dish. English adopted the term through contact with Portuguese and South Indian speakers, and its meaning gradually broadened. In modern English, curry can describe many different dishes rather than one fixed recipe.
The date can cause confusion because an older Middle English word spelled cury or curry also existed for cookery or a prepared dish. That earlier term had a separate European linguistic origin and was not the South Asian food word being discussed here. The 1598 date refers to the English adoption of the South Asian culinary term. Later, British usage helped spread curry as a broad label for dishes from across the Indian subcontinent and, eventually, for related foods in Southeast Asia and elsewhere.