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

See Examples For:

chive chives

I’ve made these a dozen different ways: cheddar and chive, goat cheese and red pepper, pizza-inspired, spinach and feta.

From Salon ● May 22, 2026

My mom went back to transforming pork and chive filling and dough circles into intricately pleated dumplings and asked what I wanted to eat.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2023

Health officials believe daffodil poisoning led to 10 hospitalisation in Bristol in 2012 because of their similarity to a chive used in Chinese cooking.

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2023

First among equals are the pan-fried chive and pork dumplings, their perfume leaning, without apology, to the onion side of the spectrum.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 15, 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

Finish the tarts with lemon zest, chopped chives, additional pecorino and another turn of black pepper.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

Dill is particularly good here, but parsley, chives and thyme are all welcome guests.

From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026

Add the asparagus and let everything turn glossy for a few minutes, then toss with sweet snap peas, chives and al dente pasta.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

Luckily, farmers markets this time of year are full of spring produce that are right at home in a primavera: asparagus, snap peas, chives, leeks and fresh herbs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

The king took out the plates of delicate pink shrimp dumplings, savory noodles and pork, dragon’s beard bean sprouts, emerald green chives, and a bowl of white jade tofu soup.

From "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin