lettuce

American  

[let-is] / ˈlɛt ɪs /

noun

1. a cultivated plant, Lactuca sativa, occurring in many varieties and having succulent leaves used for salads.

2. any species of Lactuca.

3. Slang. U.S. dollar bills; greenbacks.

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lettuce British  

/ ˈlɛtɪs /

noun

1. any of various plants of the genus Lactuca, esp L. sativa, which is cultivated in many varieties for its large edible leaves: family Asteraceae (composites)

2. the leaves of any of these varieties, which are eaten in salads

3. any of various plants that resemble true lettuce, such as lamb's lettuce and sea lettuce

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Etymology

Origin of lettuce

1250–1300; 1925–30 lettuce for def. 3; Middle English letuse, apparently < Old French laitues, plural of laitue < Latin lactūca a lettuce, perhaps derivative of lac, stem lact- milk, with termination as in erūca rocket ² (or by association with Greek galaktoûchos having milk)

Example Sentences

Among her many years toiling in the fields, she cut and packed lettuce, picked cherries and planted watermelon seeds across the Central Valley.

From Los Angeles Times

In the early 1970s, he launched a nationwide boycott of iceberg lettuce.

From The Wall Street Journal

Big bowls of iceberg lettuce dressed in Italian vinaigrette.

From Salon

It accumulated in higher concentrations throughout the plant, including the edible carrot roots, tomato fruits, and lettuce leaves.

From Science Daily

Traipsing down the Hollywood Farmers Market with giant heads of lettuce and overgrown bouquets feels not only like release, but also resistance and resilience.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bread
• cabbage