rocket salad

3.0

A leafy green with a slightly spicy taste often eaten raw in salads

noun
/ˈrɑkɪt ˈsæləd/

: rúcula

The rocket salad gives the dish a spicy, peppery kick that I love.

Examples

She sprinkled fresh rocket salad over the pizza before serving it.
We often add rocket salad to our sandwiches for a peppery flavor.
During summer, we grow rocket salad in our backyard for our daily meals.
I love rocket salad with my meals.
Have you tried rocket salad before?
The chef recommends using fresh rocket salad for a zesty salad mix.
For a nutritious boost, I include rocket salad in my green smoothies.

Synonyms

arugula

vsrocket salad

22 5.7

A leafy green plant with slightly spicy leaves often used in salads

is the broader everyday name used instead of the specific label

rocket

vsrocket salad

17 2.6

A leafy green plant with a peppery taste used in salads

is the common salad name used interchangeably in many regions

garden rocket

vsrocket salad

4.7

A leafy plant with a strong peppery taste often used in salads

is the general salad name used for those same leaves

roquette

vsrocket salad

8.1

A green leaf with a peppery taste used in salads

is the more general salad name used in everyday cooking

Eruca sativa

vsrocket salad

Specialized

7.2

A leafy green with small peppery leaves used in salads

is the common culinary name used for its leaves rather than scientific label

Eruca vesicaria sativa

vsrocket salad

Specialized

7.4

A leafy green with a peppery taste used in salads

is the everyday salad term used instead of the botanical name

How Peppery

mustard greens

2 3.6

watercress

7 2.6

rocket salad

3.0

spinach

94 1.0

lettuce

93 1.0

Surface Forms

rocket salad singular

rocket salads plural

Morphology

rocket + salad

The meaning 'a salad made with rocket (arugula)' is directly and compositionally derived from 'rocket' (a peppery salad green) + 'salad' (a mixed raw-vegetable dish). This noun phrase follows a common language pattern (ingredient + dish) and therefore a B1 learner who knows both constituent words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Rocket salad may come from old French 'roquette' and Italian 'rucola', words English speakers turned into rocket, and it is the same green Americans call 'arugula'. The plant has long, pointed leaves and a strong, peppery taste, so thinking of a small, sharp rocket helps explain why the name means this spicy salad green.