buckwheat

[ buhk-hweet, -weet ]

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.: Compare buckwheat family.

  2. the seeds of this plant.

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

adjective
  1. made with buckwheat flour: buckwheat pancakes.

Origin of buckwheat

1
1540–50; obsolete buck(Old English bōcbeech) + wheat; compare Dutch boekweit,German Buchweizen; so called because its seeds resemble beechnuts

Other words from buckwheat

  • buck·wheat·like, adjective

Words Nearby buckwheat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use buckwheat in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for buckwheat

buckwheat

/ (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

  1. the flour obtained from these seeds

Origin of buckwheat

1
C16: from Middle Dutch boecweite, from boeke beech + weite wheat, from the resemblance of their seeds to beechnuts

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