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Glite Dictionary
Saint-John's-bread

Saint-John's-bread

9.9
A powder made from ground carob seeds used instead of cocoa powder
  • noun
  • /seɪnt dʒɒnz brɛd/
  • Archaic
translation icon : algarrobo
  • Health food stores often sell Saint-John's-bread as a natural alternative to cocoa powder.

Examples

  • The bakery offers a cake made with Saint-John's-bread instead of traditional chocolate.

  • Some people with chocolate allergies use Saint-John's-bread in their baking recipes.

  • I love using Saint-John's-bread in my baking.

  • Have you ever tried Saint-John's-bread as a chocolate substitute?

  • Health food stores often sell Saint-John's-bread as a natural alternative to cocoa powder.

  • Some people with chocolate allergies use Saint-John's-bread in their baking recipes.

  • The bakery offers a cake made with Saint-John's-bread instead of traditional chocolate.

Synonyms

carob
vsSaint-John's-bread
1 6.5

A powder made from ground pods used instead of chocolate

is the same powder but called by a different traditional name
carob powder
vsSaint-John's-bread
3.6

A fine brown powder made from a sweet pod, used like cocoa in baking

is the general powder term not limited to cooking use

Surface Forms

Saint-John's-bread singular
Saint-John's-breads plural

Morphology

Saint-John's-bread = Saint John + bread (opaque) = Saint John + bread

Although formed from the proper name 'Saint John' + 'bread', the term denotes carob pods/powder rather than actual bread, so learners cannot reliably derive the meaning from the components.

Etymology

Saint-John's-bread comes from a story about John the Baptist: people long ago thought he ate the sweet pods of the carob tree, so those pods were called 'Saint John's bread'. Today the name is used for the powder made from those pods and for a natural 'chocolate' substitute, which explains why the word refers to a food product.