endive

[ en-dahyv, ahn-deev; French ahn-deev ]

noun,plural en·dives [en-dahyvz, ahn-deevz; French ahn-deev]. /ˈɛn daɪvz, ˈɑn divz; French ɑ̃ˈdiv/.
  1. a composite plant, Cichorium endivia, having a rosette of often curly-edged leaves used in salads.: Compare escarole.

  2. Also called Belgian endive, French endive, witloof. a young chicory plant, deprived of light to form a narrow head of whitish leaves that are eaten as a cooked vegetable or used raw in salads.

  1. Furniture. an ornamental motif having the form of an arrangement of acanthus or endive leaves.

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of endive

1
1325–75; Middle English <Middle French ≪ Medieval Greek entýbia, plural of entýbion, derivative of earlier éntybon<Latin intubum,intibum, earlier intubus chicory, endive, perhaps <Semitic

Words Nearby endive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use endive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for endive

endive

/ (ˈɛndaɪv) /


noun
  1. a plant, Cichorium endivia, cultivated for its crisp curly leaves, which are used in salads: family Asteraceae (composites): Compare chicory

Origin of endive

1
C15: from Old French, from Medieval Latin endīvia, variant of Latin intubus, entubus, of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012