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Glite Dictionary
Valerianella locusta

Valerianella locusta

8.8
A small leafy plant with mild leaves eaten raw in salads
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : valerianela locusta
  • She sprinkled fresh Valerianella locusta on top of the salad for a delicate, nutty flavor.

Examples

  • Farmers often grow Valerianella locusta as a winter salad green in temperate climates.

  • I love adding Valerianella locusta to my salads.

  • Although sometimes dismissed as a weed, Valerianella locusta is a prized ingredient in French cuisine.

  • Have you tried Valerianella locusta in your dishes?

  • Farmers often grow Valerianella locusta as a winter salad green in temperate climates.

  • She sprinkled fresh Valerianella locusta on top of the salad for a delicate, nutty flavor.

  • I love adding Valerianella locusta to my salads.

Synonyms

corn salad
vsValerianella locusta
1 4.2

A small annual plant with tender edible leaves used in salads

is the formal scientific name rather than the everyday common name
lamb's lettuce
vsValerianella locusta
  • UK
5.8

A small leafy green with a mild nutty taste often eaten in salads

is the formal scientific name rather than an everyday common name
common corn salad
vsValerianella locusta
6.5

A small leafy plant people use in salads that can grow wild as a weed

emphasizes mild tasting leaves grown for salads rather than wild growth

Surface Forms

Valerianella locusta singular
Valerianella locustas plural

Morphology

Valerianella + Locusta

This is a Latin binomial scientific name, i.e. a proper-label combination, not a compositional English phrase; knowing the literal constituents ('Valerianella' and 'Locusta') does not allow a B1 learner to infer the common-usage meaning of a mild salad green. In fact 'locusta' evokes 'locust' and the items are taxonomic labels rather than semantically motivated English words, so the overall meaning is arbitrary and unpredictable to learners.

Etymology

Valerianella locusta gets its common names from farm life: people called it 'lamb's lettuce' because lambs often ate its small, soft leaves, and sometimes 'corn salad' in old English. That's why the name means a small, mild salad green that we eat fresh in salads.