beef loin
- noun
- /biːf lɔɪn/
- We don't buy convenience foods, and we keep a supply of basic spices, grains, frozen chicken, seafood, and when we have steak, we buy a whole beef loin from Costco, cut it up, and freeze the steaks.
Examples
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We ordered a whole beef loin from the butcher to cut into steaks for our barbecue.
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For a special occasion, I decided to grill a beef loin roast that I had marinated overnight.
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The chef recommended using a beef loin for its tenderness when making gourmet steaks.
Synonyms
A cut of meat from near the spine that is soft and easy to cut for special meals
A cut of meat from an animal's back between the ribs and the rear
How Tender
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a cut of meat from the loin of a cow' is directly and compositionally derived from 'beef' (meat from a cow) + 'loin' (the specific cut), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the phrase. This noun–noun compounding is a common, literal naming pattern found across many languages, making the expression transparent to learners.
Etymology
Beef loin is a cut of beef from the animal's loin, the soft area along the cow's back. Because it comes from this relaxed spot the meat is 'tender' and full of 'flavor', so people use it for steaks and roasts.