spinach
/ˈspɪnɪdʒ
/ /ˈspɪnɪtʃ/noun
An edible Asian plant of the goosefoot family, with large dark green leaves which are widely eaten as a vegetable.
- Spinacia oleracea, family Chenopodiaceae.
- Add the spinach leaves, simmer for 5 min, scatter with coriander and serve with rice.
- Blend spinach and ricotta or cottage cheese in a blender or work together through a sieve.
Derivatives
spinachy
- Scallops came with a tiny pulp of Good King Henry (a spinachy local herb) and also ginger and green-tea foam.
- This is a nice version: more spinachy and less viscous than most, with a pungent kick of Parmesan and lots of thin tortilla chips for dipping.
- The cream of spinach soup was sleek, subtle and full of spinachy goodness.
Origin
Middle English: probably from Old French espinache, via Arabic from Persian aspānāḵ.
Persian aspanak is the ultimate source of the word. It passed from Persian into Arabic and then into Latin. From there it took various forms in many European languages, and probably came into English via French or possibly Dutch.