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vanilla

[vuh-nil-uh or, often, -nel-uh]

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noun

any tropical, climbing orchid of the genus Vanilla, especially V. planifolia, bearing podlike fruit yielding an extract used in flavoring food, in perfumery, etc.

Also called vanilla bean. the fruit or bean of this orchid.

the extract of this fruit.

adjective

containing or flavored with vanilla: vanilla custard.

Informal. plain-vanilla.

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Vanilla is always a great word to know.

So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:

a fool or simpleton; ninny.

an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

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Origin:
1655–65; < Neo-Latin < Spanish vainilla little pod, equivalent to vain(a) a sheath (< Latin vāgīna sheath) + -illa diminutive suffix (< LL)

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To vanilla

Example Sentences

Vanilla is no longer plain vanillaSuddenly this age-old, ho-hum flavoring is a hot marketing concept.

Turn off the heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.

Pour the nutmeg, vanilla extract, and sugar into the mixing bowl.

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Vanilla is no longer plain vanillaSuddenly this age-old, ho-hum flavoring is a hot marketing concept.

Turn off the heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.

Pour the nutmeg, vanilla extract, and sugar into the mixing bowl.

All of a sudden the entire middle of the country shifts to blue and starts drinking vanilla chai lattes.

The fillings include vanilla or chocolate custard, fruit fillings, or sweetened cream cheese.

Highlight the delicate flavor of white peaches with vanilla bean, wine, and crème fraîche.

If you remove the firmware from the card, the camera will go back to its vanilla self.

Place sugar, ginger and vanilla pod and pulp in a heavy pot set over medium heat.

Let the concoction slightly cool, then add the vanilla essence.

Vanilla comes from the only fruit-bearing orchid on the planet.

Coffee liqueur is smooth and sweet, served on ice, straight or poured over vanilla ice cream.

If desired, serve with vanilla ice cream or nonfat frozen yogurt.

In a small bowl mix together cheese, sugar, vanilla and chocolate.

For example, add food-coloring to vanilla wafers to represent an ammonite or shark tooth.

Just plain old vanilla links to the two primary parties.

While malty and firm on the palate, with vanilla notes from the wood, it exudes huge herbal and citric hop notes in the nose.

Vanilla buttermilk cake topped with coffee frosting, cocoa powder, and chocolate jimmies.

Mix the milk, honey and vanilla together in a large bowl.

Drinks include vanilla soy milk and sweet pumpkin latte.

Such is the atmospherically vanilla world portrayed by conventional climate models.

Suddenly my old standby, lime seltzer, is looking a little vanilla.

In my humble opinion, vanilla is going to be the real winner.

Vanilla sugar is made by keeping a vanilla pod in a jar of regular superfine sugar.

For example, let's say the cake is half chocolate and half vanilla.

For me, eating mint alone is not desirable, but when added to vanilla ice cream it's great.

Serve the mango crisp with vanilla or dulce de leche ice cream.

Good chocolate, real vanilla beans and so on, all make a palpable difference.

The vanilla ice cream of heartstring-tugging environmentalism.

Foot-wide white flowers open at night, have a powerful vanilla fragrance, and hang limp by morning more add to my plant list.

All that's left is a giant scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

Deep brownish red flowers with a strong chocolate or vanilla perfume in late summer and fall.

Tours walk you from mash to barrel, and explain why you might pick up vanilla and citrus tones in the wheat-based vodka.

Creamy and round, with sensational vanilla and apple spice cake flavors.

Packed with light lemon tart, vanilla créme anglaise, and ginger flavors.

Add sour cream, vanilla and eggs, and process until well mixed.

Learn how to make your own hot sauce, vanilla extract, and canned tomatoes.

But these budget-friendly options are geared primarily toward folks with vanilla intentions.

Bring to a boil, remove from heat and add the vanilla bean.

Foot-wide white flowers open at night, have a powerful vanilla fragrance, and hang limp.

Despite the plain vanilla exterior, a rambunctious creativity permeates the place.

Cool to room temperature before serving with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

The more enterprising foodies of our group tried to decompose these flavors and settled on a blend of butterscotch and vanilla.

At one time, several companies made both chocolate and vanilla flavorings for egg creams.

To make the frosting, stir together all the ingredients except the vanilla in a heavy saucepan.

Serve at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Remove from heat, strain the mixture and stir in the vanilla.

Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a broad saucepan or deep.

Serve in slices with vanilla ice cream and lingonberries.

Meanwhile, simmer the sugar in the port with the vanilla bean over medium heat until you have a thick glaze.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and confectioners' sugar.

The sweet treat known for its golden spongy cake and its creamy vanilla center is returning to its roots.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, vanilla and vinegar.

Beat cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.

In a small noncorrosive heavy saucepan, warm the milk with the sugar and the vanilla bean.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

vanilla (vəˈnɪlə)

—n
1.	any tropical climbing orchid of the genus Vanilla, esp V. plonifolia, having spikes of large fragrant greenish-yellow flowers and long fleshy pods containing the seeds (beans)
2.	the pod or bean of certain of these plants, used to flavour food, etc
3.	a flavouring extract prepared from vanilla beans and used in cooking

—*adj*
4.	flavoured with or as if with vanilla: vanilla ice cream
5.	slang ordinary or conventional: a vanilla kind of guy

[C17: from New Latin, from Spanish vainilla pod, from vaina a sheath, from Latin vāgīna sheath]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

vanilla

1662, from Sp. vainilla "vanilla plant," lit. "little pod," dim. of vaina "sheath," from L. vagina "sheath" (see vagina). So called from the shape of the pods. European discovery 1521 by Hernando Cortes' soldiers on reconnaissance in southeastern Mexico. Meaning "conventional,

EXPAND

of ordinary sexual preferences" is 1970s, from notion of whiteness and the common choice of vanilla ice cream. Vanillin is from 1868.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

vanilla va·nil·la (və-nĭl'ə)
n.

Any of various tropical American vines of the genus Vanilla, especially V. planifolia, cultivated for its long narrow seedpods from which a flavoring agent is obtained.
The seedpod of this plant. Also called vanilla bean.
A flavoring extract prepared from the cured seedpods of this plant or produced synthetically.

adj.
Flavored with vanilla.

Slang Dictionary

vanilla definition

mod.
plain; dull. (See also beige.) : The entire production was sort of vanilla, but it was okay.
n.
a Caucasian. : Some vanilla's on the phone—selling something, I guess.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

FOLDOC

Computing Dictionary

vanilla definition

1. (Default flavour of ice cream in the US) Ordinary flavour, standard. When used of food, very often does not mean that the food is flavoured with vanilla extract! For example, "vanilla wonton soup" means ordinary wonton soup, as opposed to hot-and-sour wonton soup. Applied to hardware and software, as in "Vanilla Version 7 Unix can't run on a vanilla PDP 11/34." Also used to orthogonalise chip nomenclature; for instance, a 74V00 means what TI calls a 7400, as distinct from a 74LS00, etc. This word differs from canonical in that the latter means "default", whereas vanilla simply means "ordinary". For example, when hackers go to a chinese restaurant, hot-and-sour wonton soup is the canonical wonton soup to get (because that is what most of them usually order) even though it isn't the vanilla wonton soup.
[Jargon File]
(1994-11-04)
2. Snobol4 by Catspaw, Inc. for MS-DOS.
(ftp://cs.arizona.edu/snobol4/vanilla.arc).
(1992-02-05)

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Matching Quote

"If there be any man who thinks the ruin of a race of men a small matter, compared with the last decoration and completions of his own comfort,—who would not so much as part with his ice- cream, to save them from rapine and manacles, I think I must not hesitate to satisfy that man that also his cream and vanilla are safer and cheaper by placing the negro nation on a fair footing than by robbing them."

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