spinach

American  

[spin-ich] / ˈspɪn ɪtʃ /

noun

1. a plant, Spinacia oleracea, cultivated for its edible, crinkly or flat leaves.

2. the leaves.

---

spinach British  

/ -ɪtʃ, ˈspɪnɪdʒ /

noun

1. a chenopodiaceous annual plant, Spinacia oleracea, cultivated for its dark green edible leaves

2. the leaves of this plant, eaten as a vegetable

---

Other Word Forms

• spinachlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of spinach

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English spinache, spinage, spinarch, from Anglo-French spinache, from Old French espinache, espinage, espinoche, from Medieval Latin spinargium, spinachium, spinarchium, ultimately from Arabic isfānākh, isfināj, perhaps from Persian isfānāj, ispānāk, aspānāk

Example Sentences

Did the sea kelp—immediately frozen after it’s harvested, resembling chopped spinach—arrive safely to New York from Vancouver Island?

From The Wall Street Journal

My favorites: the spinach frittata and maple bacon.

From The Wall Street Journal

If you’re not in the mood for a hulking sirloin — and if just creamed spinach and a frosted martini feel like insufficient ballast — skip the burger.

From Salon

In Chicago, spinach goes into the ground in staggered rows, insurance against frost.

From Salon

Fold in winter greens — kale, escarole, spinach — and let them wilt just until tender but still verdant.

From Salon

Related Words

• blue-green
• olive