buckwheat

American  

[buhk-hweet, -weet] / ˈbʌkˌʰwit, -ˌwit /

noun

1. a plant, especially Fagopyrum esculentum, cultivated for its triangular seeds, which are used as a feed for animals or made into a flour for human consumption, as in pancakes or cereal.

2. the seeds of this plant.

3. Also buckwheat flour flour made from seeds of buckwheat.

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adjective

1. made with buckwheat flour.

   buckwheat pancakes.

buckwheat British  

/ ˈbʌkˌwiːt /

noun

1. any of several polygonaceous plants of the genus Fagopyrum , esp F. esculentum , which has fragrant white flowers and is cultivated, esp in the US, for its seeds

2. the edible seeds of this plant, ground into flour or used as animal fodder

3. the flour obtained from these seeds

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Other Word Forms

• buckwheatlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of buckwheat

1540–50; obsolete buck ( Old English bōc beech ) + wheat; compare Dutch boekweit, German Buchweizen; so called because its seeds resemble beechnuts

Explanation

Buckwheat is a plant whose triangular seeds are harvested and milled into flour. Some people prefer hearty buckwheat pancakes to the lighter and fluffier white flour version. Despite the similar names, buckwheat isn't related to wheat — its closer cousins are rhubarb and sorrel. It grows triangular-shaped seeds that can be cooked and eaten whole or ground into flour for use in foods like Japanese soba noodles. The word comes from the Middle Dutch boecweite, "beech wheat," based on buckwheat's resemblance to the seeds of the beech tree.

Example Sentences

In the kitchen, Kai rolls out dough for buckwheat brioche bread paired with herb butter.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

For the whole walk home, my clothes smelled of Breizh’s signature buckwheat and brown butter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

We also passed dense stands of thick-leaved yerba santa, California buckwheat, sugar bush and chilicothe vines and we were treated to the squawks of California scrub jays and a red-tail hawk flying overhead.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026

Take a break from the 14 beginner-friendly, mostly gentle trails with a steaming bowl of buckwheat soba at Chouji-An, then hit the slopes for a few more hours.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 24, 2026

There was a field of buckwheat on the hill.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway