lentil

[len-til, -tl]

noun

a plant, Lens culinaris, of the legume family, having flattened, biconvex seeds used as food.

the seed itself.

Nearby words

Origin of lentil

1200–50; Middle English < Old French lentille < Vulgar Latin *lentīcula for Latin lenticula. See lenticle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lentil

Tonight's dinner--lentil soup with ham--went in the slow cooker before work this morning.
Friday Forum: How often do you cook?|Megan McArdle|January 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
We have a rotating list of soups that we serve at François Payard Bakery, but my current favorite is the lentil.
Fresh Picks by François Payard|François Payard|March 3, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Depending upon how much lamb is included, the stew can be lentil with lamb or lamb with lentils.
What to Eat: One-Pot Meals for a Busy Holiday Season|Cookstr.com|December 15, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Lentil and Feta Cheese Salad by Nava Atlas and Fran Bigelow A few bites to transport you to the Mediterranean.
What to Eat|Cookstr.com|July 14, 2009|DAILY BEAST

Dried peas, lima beans, soy beans and lentil soup may be prepared in the same manner.
Mrs. Wilson's Cook Book|Mary A. Wilson
Another species of lentil, Ervum monanthos, is grown in France about Orleans and elsewhere under the name of jarosse and jarande.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 4|Various
A plentiful dinner of lentil soup and bread costs only about ten cents.
Twenty-Five Cent Dinners for Families of Six|Juliet Corson
Originally it must have been either gravel and mongo, or else mongo and some other kind of lentil nearly resembling it in size.
Filipino Popular Tales|Dean S. Fansler
A third day it would be pea, bean, or lentil soup, with bread and pemmican.
Farthest North|Fridtjof Nansen

British Dictionary definitions for lentil

lentil

noun

a small annual leguminous plant, Lens culinaris, of the Mediterranean region and W Asia, having edible brownish convex seeds

any of the seeds of this plant, which are cooked and eaten as a vegetable, in soups, etc

Word Origin for lentil

C13: from Old French lentille, from Latin lenticula, diminutive of lēns lentil

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

Word Origin and History for lentil

lentil

mid-13c., from Old French lentille "lentil," also "freckle," from Latin lenticula, diminutive of Latin lens (genitive lentis) "lentil," cognate with Greek lathyros, German linse, Old Church Slavonic lęšta.