lentil
noun/ˈlɛntəl/
Etymology From Middle English lentile, from Old French lentille from Latin lenticula, diminutive of lēns, from a pre-Indo-European substrate source shared by German Linse, Ancient Greek λάθυρος (láthuros) and Lithuanian lęšis. Doublet of lenticula.
1
Any of several plants of the genus Lens, especially Lens culinaris, from southwest Asia, that have edible, lens-shaped seeds within flattened pods.
2
The seed of these plants, used as food.
- make a lentil stew
- a lentil salad
3 more examples
- In ancient Greece, lentils were believed to stimulate desire.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 136:
- A couple of vegetables, sambar (spicy and sour lentils and vegetables boiled with masalas and spices), rasam (a hot and fiery lentil soup-like dish) and curds (yoghurt) served with heaps of rice and eaten in that order. A non-vegetarian version of the “meals” can be found in “Military” hotels.2017 July 12, Sanjiv Khamgaonkar, “40 Mumbai foods we can’t live without”, in CNN:
- Wild nuts, peas, vetch, a legume which had edible seed pods, and grasses were often combined with pulses like beans or lentils, the most commonly identified ingredient, and at times, wild mustard. To make the plants more palatable, pulses, which have a naturally bitter taste, were soaked, coarsely ground or pounded with stones to remove their husk.2022 November 22, Katie Hunt, “Neanderthals cooked meals with pulses 70,000 years ago”, in CNN:
3
A small chocolate candy in an edible shell.
- An enhanced focus on the brand's iconic color palette and the use of different shapes and sizes of M&M'S lentils across all touchpoints to prove that all together, we're more fun2022 January 20, Mars Corporation, “Iconic M&M'S® Brand Announces Global Commitment to Creating A World Where Everyone Feels They Belong”, in PR Newswire, retrieved 17 Sep 2025:
- Derived terms
- beluga lentil, lentilish, lentilist, lentil-like, lentil shell, lentil-weaver, lentil-weaving, Le Puy lentil, Puy lentil, sea-lentil, soylent, water lentil
- Related terms
- lens, lenticular, split pea