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Allium porrum

Allium porrum

5.9
A long green vegetable like a large onion with a thick white stem used in cooking
  • noun
  • /ˈæliəm ˈpɔrəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : puerro
  • I added some Allium porrum to the soup for flavor.

Examples

  • Many traditional recipes call for Allium porrum as a key ingredient.

  • The gardener planted Allium porrum in early spring for a late summer harvest.

  • Researchers are studying Allium porrum for its potential health benefits.

  • Have you ever cooked with Allium porrum?

  • In the recipe, adding Allium porrum enhances the flavor of the dish.

  • Many chefs appreciate Allium porrum for its unique taste in savory meals.

  • Gardeners often cultivate Allium porrum because of its versatility in cooking.

Synonyms

leek
vsAllium porrum
22 1.0

A long vegetable with a white stem and green leaves used to add mild onion flavor to food

is the scientific name used in formal or technical contexts

Surface Forms

Allium porrum singular

Morphology

Allium + porrum

This is a Latin binomial (scientific name) rather than a compositional English phrase: knowing 'Allium' might suggest an onion/garlic-type plant, but 'porrum' is not a recognizable English word and does not transparently yield 'leek'. Scientific names are lexicalized labels in Latin and are not predictable from their parts for an average B1 learner, so the meaning is not derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Allium porrum comes from old Latin words that name the plant. Allium means the group of onion-like plants and porrum means 'leek', so the name simply points to the long white bulb and green leaves we use in cooking.