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light bread

light bread

3.1
A soft pale bread made from white wheat flour
  • noun
translation icon : pan blanco
  • She toasted a slice of light bread and spread some butter on top.

Examples

  • There was no sign of any food that a Mississippi child might have actually been able to eat: cornbread and turnip greens, cold baked sweet potatoes, pimento-cheese sandwiches on light bread, fried chicken and slaw, and watermelon.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • During the early days of molasses making, the master molasses cooker was Mr. Louie Hahn of the Long Mountain Community, and Mrs. Hahn could make the best homemade light bread ever.

    Blog text (19)
  • For breakfast, he enjoyed a sandwich made with light bread and fresh jam.

  • The recipe called for a few slices of light bread to create a soft texture in the pudding.

Synonyms

bread
vslight bread
805 1.0

A common food made by baking dough from flour, often with yeast

refers specifically to refined, finely ground bleached flour loaves that are soft and pale
white bread
vslight bread
12 1.0

A soft, light bread made from white wheat flour

is the general term emphasizing finely ground and usually bleached flour
soft white bread
vslight bread
1.0

A light, soft pale loaf often used for sandwiches and toast

refers to the same refined flour loaves but not stressing fluffiness or use
wastel
vslight bread
  • Archaic
9.9

A fine white bread loaf made from the best flour in the Middle Ages

is the modern general term for refined pale loaves, not just historical ones

How Soft

white bread
12 1.0
light bread
3.1
crustiness
1 4.6

Surface Forms

light bread singular
light breads plural

Morphology

light + bread

The adjective 'light' directly modifies 'bread' so a learner who knows both words will infer a less rich, lower-calorie or paler type of bread; this is a straightforward adjective + noun composition. The possible minor ambiguity (color vs. calorie) does not prevent comprehension because both senses follow naturally from the constituent meanings and are cross-linguistically common.

Etymology

Light bread gets its name from the word light, meaning 'not heavy', and the pale, soft bread made from very fine flour. So today light bread means bread that looks pale and feels soft and less heavy than whole grain bread.