chive

American  

[chahyv] / tʃaɪv /

noun

chives plural

1. a small bulbous plant, Allium schoenoprasum, related to the leek and onion, having long, slender leaves that are used as a seasoning.

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chive British  

/ tʃaɪv /

noun

1. Also called: chives.  a small Eurasian purple-flowered alliaceous plant, Allium schoenoprasum, whose long slender hollow leaves are used in cooking to flavour soups, stews, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• chives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of chive

1350–1400; Middle English cive < Anglo-French chive, Old French cive ≪ Latin caepa onion

Example Sentences

In addition to the savory, new potato, cheddar and chive bakes, there's also a new sweet option, the vanilla bean custard danish, as well as the new chicken, maple butter and egg sandwich.

From Salon • Jan. 4, 2024

Her main dish was smoked rainbow trout, citrus cured rillette, fried egg, chive mash, soused vegetables and herb butter sauce.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2023

They have this chive biscuit with chicken and an egg and gravy.

From New York Times • Feb. 25, 2022

Another stellar Chinese restaurant, Fang’s Noodle House is tucked in the Totem Square mall, doing excellent Northern Chinese-style boiled dumplings, from its chive pork-shrimp morsels to its pork-fennel filling.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 8, 2022

Add that to all the chive, dillweed, and lemon balm growing around the porch and the smell could knock you over.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd