endive

[ en-dahyv, ahn-deev; French ahn-deev ]

/ ˈɛn daɪv, ˈɑn div; French ɑ̃ˈdiv /

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noun, plural en·dives

[en-dahyvz, ahn-deevz; French ahn-deev]. /ˈɛn daɪvz, ˈɑn divz; French ɑ̃ˈdiv/.

a composite plant, Cichorium endivia, having a rosette of often curly-edged leaves used in salads.Compare escarole.

Also called Belgian endive, French endive, witloof. a young chicory plant, deprived of light to form a narrow head of whitish leaves that are eaten as a cooked vegetable or used raw in salads.

Furniture. an ornamental motif having the form of an arrangement of acanthus or endive leaves.

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Origin of endive

1325–75; Middle English <Middle French ≪ Medieval Greek entýbia, plural of entýbion, derivative of earlier éntybon<Latin intubum,intibum, earlier intubus chicory, endive, perhaps <Semitic

Words nearby endive

end grain, endhand, Endicott, ending, end in itself, endive, end leaf, endless, end line, endling, endlong

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use endive in a sentence

Being from the southwest of France, it is thanks to endive that I realize that there is exceptional produce everywhere.
Fresh Picks|Yves Camdeborde|September 22, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Make walnut oil-Champagne vinegar vinaigrette to dress a salad of endive, toasted walnuts, and roasted and diced golden beets.
The Way To Dress A Naked Salad|Chris Styler|July 7, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Several kinds of endive as well as watercress may also be used for salad.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 4|Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
It is slightly higher in food value than lettuce and endive, but lower than dandelion.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2|Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences

Endive is very low in food value, comparing very closely with celery and cucumbers in this respect.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2|Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
To be most satisfactory, endive should be bought when it is fresh and unwithered and kept until used in a cool, damp place.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2|Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
(a) If greens, such as endive, appear to be withered, how may they be freshened?
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2|Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences

British Dictionary definitions for endive

endive

/ (ˈɛndaɪv) /

noun

a plant, Cichorium endivia, cultivated for its crisp curly leaves, which are used in salads: family Asteraceae (composites)Compare chicory

Word Origin for endive

C15: from Old French, from Medieval Latin endīvia, variant of Latin intubus, entubus, of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012