lettuce

noun

let·​tuce ˈle-təs 

: any of a genus (Lactuca) of composite plants

especially : a common garden vegetable (L. sativa) whose succulent leaves are used especially in salads

Examples of lettuce in a Sentence

I like a little lettuce and tomato on my sandwiches.

Recent Examples on the Web

Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese. —Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 31 Dec. 2024

Get The Recipe Pear Salad While the ingredient list may seem questionable–lettuce, pear, mayonnaise, Cheddar cheese, red maraschino cherry–there's no denying this recipe is a classic. —Nellah Bailey McGough, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2024

Even haters of the Golden Arches might find charms in He’s project, whose page edges are colored so that the book, when closed, looks like an abstraction of a Big Mac: two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame seed bun. —Craig Nakano, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024

Time to ante up and kick in! To add to their misery, the Down Deeper's current food supply is being tainted by someone within, as their lettuce, fruit, meat, and eggs are being laced with powdered rat poison. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English letuse, from Anglo-French letuse, probably from plural of letue lettuce plant, from Latin lactuca, from lact-, lac milk; from its milky juice — more at galaxy

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lettuce

• Bibb lettuce
• Boston lettuce
• butter lettuce
• cos lettuce
• devil's lettuce
• iceberg lettuce
• lamb's lettuce
• miner's lettuce
• sea lettuce

Kids Definition

lettuce

noun

let·​tuce ˈlet-əs 

: a common garden vegetable related to the daisies that has crisp juicy leaves used especially in salads