lentil

American  

[len-til, -tl] / ˈlɛn tɪl, -tl /

noun

1. a plant, Lens culinaris, of the legume family, having flattened, biconvex seeds used as food.

2. the seed itself.

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lentil British  

/ ˈlɛntɪl /

noun

1. a small annual leguminous plant, Lens culinaris, of the Mediterranean region and W Asia, having edible brownish convex seeds

2. any of the seeds of this plant, which are cooked and eaten as a vegetable, in soups, etc

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Etymology

Origin of lentil

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Old French lentille, from Vulgar Latin lentīcula (unrecorded), from Latin lenticula; lenticle

Example Sentences

She often cries silently, letting the tears slide down her face, not bothering to dry them as she stirs a pot of lentil soup or kneads the dough for potato-and.cheese borekas.

From Literature

Weekday fare featured potatoes, beans, barley and sturdy soups whose main ingredients included lentils and farfel.

From The Wall Street Journal

For lunch, she recommends I have green salad, beans or lentils, broccoli, asparagus or beetroot, and grilled chicken without skin.

From BBC

Some families were surviving on little more than a bowl of lentils a day.

From Science Daily

She has cut back on buying meat at the supermarket and replaced it with cheaper staples like lentils, and she no longer spends on small luxuries like trips to the movies.

From The Wall Street Journal