lentil
Americannoun
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lentils
plural
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a plant, Lens culinaris, of the legume family, having flattened, biconvex seeds used as food.
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the seed itself.
noun
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a small annual leguminous plant, Lens culinaris, of the Mediterranean region and W Asia, having edible brownish convex seeds
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any of the seeds of this plant, which are cooked and eaten as a vegetable, in soups, etc
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lentil
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Old French lentille, from Vulgar Latin lentīcula (unrecorded), from Latin lenticula; see lenticle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Dishes include a lentil soup that she sells to-go in 1-liter jars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
The spread often included lamb, chicken, rice and his famous lentil soup.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
The key is proportion: if your base is the size of a lentil or a grain of rice, aim to chop your vegetables to roughly match.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026
The fact that the Canary Islands have kept their original lentil types for such an extended period is more than a curious detail.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 26, 2025
One morning in April, when the heat had returned for drying lentil wafers on the roof, we noticed that someone had vomited by the cistern tap.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
The government provided the family with a relief kit containing rice, lentils and cooking oil.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
“It’s traditionally done with rice and beans, but this one I do with lentils and red quinoa, which those two by themselves are powerfully protein and fiber packed,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
For vegetarians, you can get your protein from lentils, nuts, milk, tofu and cheese too.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
The concept of eating rice and lentils has existed for centuries — and it’s certainly not exclusive to khichuri.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
She carried a wooden tray with a bowl of lentils.
From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
