corn salad

1 4.2

A small annual plant with tender edible leaves used in salads

noun
/kɔrn ˈsæləd/

: lechuga de cordero

Many chefs value corn salad for its mild flavor in spring salads.
tomato-and-corn salad
corn salad and lettuce

Examples

Growing corn salad in your garden can provide you with fresh greens throughout the spring.
She picked fresh corn salad from her garden for tonight's meal.
The supermarket stocks corn salad alongside other leafy greens.
I love corn salad during the summer.
Have you tried corn salad with feta cheese?
This refreshing dish combines diced avocado and corn salad for a light, healthy meal.
You can enhance your sandwich by adding a handful of corn salad leaves for extra flavor.

Synonyms

Valerianella locusta

vscorn salad

Specialized

8.8

A small leafy plant with mild leaves eaten raw in salads

is the everyday common name rather than the scientific form

lamb's lettuce

vscorn salad

5.8

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

is the neutral name used in general contexts

common corn salad

vscorn salad

6.5

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

focuses on being a small annual with tender edible leaves

Surface Forms

corn salad singular

corn salads plural

Morphology

corn + salad

The head noun 'salad' clearly signals a food/leafy plant used in salads, so part of the meaning (a salad-related plant/dish) is accessible. However, the modifier 'corn' is misleading for many learners (likely interpreted as maize) and does not transparently indicate the specific plant Valerianella locusta, so the exact botanical sense is not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

The name corn salad comes from a small plant that often grew in fields of grain; long ago corn meant 'grain', and people picked the tender leaves to make a salad. That's why corn salad now means the little leafy green used in salads.