Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A plant (Cichorium endivia) in the composite family, of South Asian origin, having curled or ruffled leaves with a bitter flavor, cultivated as a salad green.
  • noun A variety of the common chicory (Cichorium intybus) cultivated to produce a narrow, pointed, blanched cluster of leaves used in salads.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A plant, Cichorium Endivia, of the natural order Compositæ, distinguished from the chicory, C. Intybus, by its annual root, much longer unequal pappus, and less bitter taste.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Bot.) A composite herb (Cichorium Endivia). Its finely divided and much curled leaves, when blanched, are used for salad.
  • noun (Bot.) chicory or succory.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A leafy salad vegetable, Cichorium endivia, which is often confused with chicory.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun widely cultivated herb with leaves valued as salad green; either curly serrated leaves or broad flat ones that are usually blanched
  • noun variety of endive having leaves with irregular frilled edges

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin endivia, from Medieval Greek entubia, pl. diminutive of Greek entubon, from Latin intubus, of unknown origin.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French endive, from Medieval Latin *endiva or Late Latin *intibus, perhaps from Byzantine Greek *entybon. Ultimately of uncertain origin, indeed perhaps Egyptian Arabic طوبه (tybi, "January").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word endive.

Examples

  • The endive is the perfect vehicle for all sorts of fillings.

    The Paper Chef 2005

  • And it was in France, dear reader, that I learned to swallow the bitter pill best known as endive-not a life lesson, perhaps, in the strict sense of the term, but a promising turn for a palate. picky than pleasant at the dinner table.

    Orangette 2010

  • Lettuce is used oftenest for this purpose, but almost any edible green, such as endive, watercress, etc., makes an excellent garnish.

    Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume 4: Salads and Sandwiches; Cold and Frozen Desserts; Cakes, Cookies and Puddings; Pastries and Pies

  • -- The curatives are aperients, such as endive, water cresses, bread and milk, and red pepper.

    The Handy Cyclopedia of Things Worth Knowing A Manual of Ready Reference Joseph Triemens

  • Of herbs there was a single kind of endive, and two of lettuce -- both bad -- while we can now reckon more than fifty lettuces and endives, all excellent.

    Evolution, Old & New Or, the Theories of Buffon, Dr. Erasmus Darwin and Lamarck, as compared with that of Charles Darwin Samuel Butler 1868

  • Tear bitter greens, such as endive and frisee, into small pieces and mingle them with larger pieces of crisp, sweet romaine.

    chicagotribune.com - News 2011

  • The office of the First Lady said the menu included 'fruitwood-smoked quail with quince gastrique', 'quinoa risotto', 'thyme-roasted rack of lamb', 'tomato, fennel and eggplant fondue' and a salad course of 'endive', 'baked vermont brie' and 'walnut crostini'.

    WHAT REALLY HAPPENED 2008

  • The office of the First Lady said the menu included 'fruitwood-smoked quail with quince gastrique', 'quinoa risotto', 'thyme-roasted rack of lamb', 'tomato, fennel and eggplant fondue' and a salad course of 'endive', 'baked vermont brie' and 'walnut crostini'.

    WHAT REALLY HAPPENED 2008

  • The office of the First Lady said the menu included 'fruitwood-smoked quail with quince gastrique', 'quinoa risotto', 'thyme-roasted rack of lamb', 'tomato, fennel and eggplant fondue' and a salad course of 'endive', 'baked vermont brie' and 'walnut crostini'.

    WHAT REALLY HAPPENED 2008

  • The office of the First Lady said the menu included 'fruitwood-smoked quail with quince gastrique', 'quinoa risotto', 'thyme-roasted rack of lamb', 'tomato, fennel and eggplant fondue' and a salad course of 'endive', 'baked vermont brie' and 'walnut crostini'.

    WHAT REALLY HAPPENED 2008

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.