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Glite Dictionary
Spinacia oleracea

Spinacia oleracea

6.5
A leafy green plant with dark edible leaves eaten as spinach
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Spinacia oleracea
  • The scientific classification for spinach is Spinacia oleracea.

Examples

  • Spinacia oleracea is commonly grown in home gardens for its edible leaves.

  • I love to eat Spinacia oleracea in salads.

  • Researchers studied the nutritional value of Spinacia oleracea compared to other leafy greens.

  • Did you know that Spinacia oleracea is high in iron?

  • Spinacia oleracea is rich in vitamins and is often included in healthy diets.

  • Many chefs prefer using Spinacia oleracea for its fresh flavor in various dishes.

  • When cooked, Spinacia oleracea wilts down significantly, making it a great addition to soups.

Synonyms

spinach
vsSpinacia oleracea
94 1.0

A green leafy vegetable eaten raw or cooked

is the scientific species name used in formal contexts
spinach plant
vsSpinacia oleracea
1.6

A garden plant with dark green leaves that people eat

is the formal scientific name for that cultivated species
prickly-seeded spinach
vsSpinacia oleracea
  • Indian
8.6

A leafy green plant with small prickly seeds that people grow for its tender dark leaves used in cooking

is the formal species name covering this regional variety

Surface Forms

Spinacia oleracea singular
Spinacia oleraceas plural

Morphology

Spinacia + oleracea

This is a Latin binomial (scientific) name rather than a normal English phrase; its meaning ('spinach') is conventional and taxonomic rather than compositionally derived from everyday English words. Even if a learner knew 'Spinacia' as a genus, B1 learners will not reliably infer the common-food meaning from these Latin elements, so the expression is not transparently interpretable.

Etymology

Spinacia oleracea comes from old Latin words used for plants: Spinacia became our word 'spinach' and oleracea means 'from the garden' or 'edible plant'. So Spinacia oleracea is simply the formal name for the leafy green 'spinach' we eat.