salad

American  

[sal-uhd] / ˈsæl əd /

noun

1. a usually cold dish consisting of vegetables, as lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers, covered with a dressing and sometimes containing seafood, meat, or eggs.

2. any of various dishes consisting of foods, as meat, seafood, eggs, pasta, or fruit, prepared singly or combined, usually cut up, mixed with a dressing, and served cold.

   chicken salad; potato salad.

3. any herb or green vegetable, as lettuce, used for salads or eaten raw.

4. South Midland and Southern U.S. greens.

5. any mixture or assortment.

   The usual salad of writers, artists, and musicians attended the party.

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salad British  

/ ˈsæləd /

noun

1. a dish of raw vegetables, such as lettuce, tomatoes, etc, served as a separate course with cold meat, eggs, etc, or as part of a main course

2. any dish of cold vegetables or fruit

   potato salad

   fruit salad

3. any green vegetable used in such a dish, esp lettuce

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Etymology

Origin of salad

1350–1400; Middle English salad ( e ) < Middle French salade < Old Provençal salada < Vulgar Latin *salāta, feminine past participle of *salāre to salt, equivalent to sal-, stem of sāl salt ¹ + -āta -ate ¹

Explanation

A salad is a dish that's usually cold and often includes lettuce or other greens. However, some salads don't have any greens but instead have lots of mayo — like tuna salad or chicken salad. While your idea of a salad might be iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, croutons, and a creamy dressing, salads come in many different forms. You can make a pasta salad or a tuna salad or an egg salad. Other salads are based on big pieces of bread, or meat, or cheese — and still others are dessert salads made with gelatin or whipped cream and fruit. Salad comes from the Latin phrase herba salata, or "salted vegetables."

Example Sentences

Cabbage becomes slaw, stir-fry, soup or salad depending on the mood and the state of the week.

From Salon • May 22, 2026

My best meal was a wedge salad at a sports bar at MGM Grand.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

Asked if he likes the peppery salad leaves, the champion, nicknamed the "Popeye of Watercress eating", said: "I don't mind a bit of it mixed in with something."

From BBC • May 17, 2026

Search for fibermaxxing on social media and you’ll see any number of recipes for chia pudding and bean salad, as well as influencers talking up the benefits of a high-fiber diet.

From MarketWatch • May 10, 2026

She flipped the lid up and went into raptures about the fried chicken and potato salad.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• potato salad