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Glite Dictionary
lady's leek

lady's leek

9.9
A wild onion with white to pink flowers that grows in North American forests
  • noun
  • /ˈleɪdiz liːk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ajo silvestre
  • Some chefs prize lady's leek for its mild onion flavor and tender leaves.

Examples

  • The delicate flowers of lady's leek range in color from white to pale rose.

  • Many people enjoy foraging for lady's leeks in spring.

  • Every spring, hikers search for lady's leek in the forest to add to their meals.

  • The lady's leek is a delicious addition to salads.

  • Every spring, hikers search for lady's leek in the forest to add to their meals.

  • Some chefs prize lady's leek for its mild onion flavor and tender leaves.

  • The delicate flowers of lady's leek range in color from white to pale rose.

Synonyms

wild leek
vslady's leek
  • US
7.5

A North American wild onion with broad leaves and a small bulb often called ramps and used as food

is the same native plant but has white to pinkish flowers
meadow leek
vslady's leek
  • US
9.1

A wild plant with an edible bulb and leaves that smell like onions

is identified as a North American onion species with broader leaves and pinkish flowers

Surface Forms

lady's leek singular
lady's leeks plural

Morphology

lady's + leek

The phrase combines the possessive modifier 'lady's' with the noun 'leek', so a learner who knows both words will naturally infer it denotes a type or variety of leek (i.e., a plant). While the exact botanical identity (a wild onion, ramps) is specialized vocabulary, the basic meaning 'a kind of leek/plant' is compositional and predictable from the constituents.

Etymology

Lady's leek may come from people calling a mild wild onion a leek and linking it to 'the Virgin Mary' because monks grew the plant for her. So the gentle, onion-like plant became known as lady's leek, a name still used for this wild onion today.