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chive

chive

16 2.6
A small herb with thin hollow leaves that adds a mild onion flavor to food
  • noun
  • /ʧaɪv/
translation icon : cebollino
  • I added a little oregano and some chives.
  • chopped chives
  • parsley and chives
  • fresh chives

Come on, Kristen, salmon and creamy Dijon chive sauce.

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Examples

  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together beans, olive oil, chives, and parsley.

    Blog text (28)
  • Well, we should pick up some sour cream and chives, just in case.

  • All right, Just next door to our chive patch is our mint forest.

  • I want to get the sour cream and chives potato.

  • Also look for "garlic butter" and "sour cream and chives" options.

    Blog text (26)
  • All right, I've got some sour cream and chive pretzels.

  • I'd like a New York strip, mid rare, and a baked potato with sour cream and chives only.

  • Marguerite fingered the chives, which were crisp and topped with spiky purple flowers.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • One salad offering included fennel, celery, and apples with Greek yogurt dressing and chives for $9.

    Blog text (9)
  • I added a little oregano and some chives to the salad for flavor.

Synonyms

cive
vschive
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A small green plant with thin hollow leaves that add a mild onion flavor to food

identifies the actual species used for seasoning rather than a related plant
Allium schoenoprasum
vschive
  • Specialized
7.4

A small onion-like plant with thin hollow green leaves used to add mild onion flavor to food

is the common everyday name rather than the formal scientific label
chives
vschive
2.0

A small onion-like herb with long green leaves that adds a mild onion taste to food

focuses on botanical identity and hollow cylindrical leaf shape rather than taste
garlic chive
vschive
3.5

A plant with flat leaves and a mild garlic taste used like chives in cooking

has the milder onion-like taste and hollow cylindrical leaves instead of garlic flavor
Chinese chive
vschive
5.1

A herb with flat leaves and a mild onion taste used in Asian cooking

is smaller and mainly used as a delicate seasoning rather than as a vegetable

Compounds

A herb with flat leaves and a mild onion taste used in Asian cooking

A plant with flat leaves and a mild garlic taste used like chives in cooking

How Strong

garlic
244 1.0
onion
393 1.0
chive
16 2.6
green onion
  • US
12 1.1
parsley
58 1.0

Surface Forms

chive singular
chives plural

Etymology

Chive comes from old French cive, a word for a 'small onion' or onion-like herb, because chives belong to the same family as onions and garlic. So thinking of a tiny 'onion' helps you remember that chives are a small herb used to add a mild onion taste to food.