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alfalfa sprout

alfalfa sprout

1 4.2
A young plant grown from alfalfa seed and eaten raw in salads or sandwiches
  • noun
  • /ˌælfæl.fə ˈspraʊt/
  • US
translation icon : brotes de alfalfa
  • Since 1995, raw alfalfa sprouts have been recognized as a source of foodborne illness in the United States, with several outbreaks of both E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella.
  • lettuce and alfalfa sprouts
  • alfalfa sprouts and cheese

And when you think of sprouts, I mean, most people just think of alfalfa sprouts.

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Examples

  • Finally, a garnish of alfalfa sprouts.

  • I put a little whey in it, then I mix it with a little alfalfa sprouts, some bean curd, and spinach mold in it too.

  • Well, I like pancakes and alfalfa sprouts and lemonade.

  • on whole-wheat bread with alfalfa sprouts and Monterey Jack cheese

  • That guy lives on bean curd and alfalfa sprouts; he ain't gonna die of natural causes.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I have cheese, alfalfa sprouts and avocado and then little berries here seasoning some lovely things.

  • People weren't eating alfalfa sprouts, or lentils would be cooked and become Dal or various recipes.

  • You know, maybe have some mung bean sprouts and some miso soup or have some alfalfa sprouts on a sandwich.

  • This (bleep) lives on alfalfa sprouts and bean curd; he ain't gonna die of natural causes.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • To make a fresh salad, add some diced cucumbers and alfalfa sprouts for extra crunch.

Surface Forms

Morphology

alfalfa + sprout

The meaning 'a sprouted seed of alfalfa' is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'alfalfa' (the plant) with 'sprout' (a young shoot). This noun–noun compound follows a standard, cross-linguistically common pattern for naming types of sprouts or shoots, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand the MWE.

Etymology

Alfalfa sprout is a simple, literal name: alfalfa is the plant and a sprout is the tiny, young shoot that grows from its seed. These small green threads are often eaten raw for a fresh, crunchy taste, so the name means 'a sprouted alfalfa seed eaten raw'.