Definition

1. Noun:
   • Lettuce: A common leafy green vegetable, typically used in salads and sandwiches. The term often specifically refers to the plant species Lactuca sativa.
   • A type of herb/vegetable: Refers to the plant itself or its edible leaves.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Tôi mua một bó rau diếp để làm salad. (I bought a bunch of lettuce to make a salad.)
  • Rau diếp rất tốt cho sức khỏe. (Lettuce is very good for your health.)
  • Vườn nhà bà trồng rất nhiều diếp. (My grandmother's garden grows a lot of lettuce.)

Advanced Usage

• "diếp cá": This is a compound term for a different, distinct plant (), often called "fish mint" or "lizard tail" in English. It is not a type of lettuce.
  • Diếp cá có mùi vị rất đặc trưng, thường dùng làm rau gia vị. (Diếp cá has a very distinctive flavor, often used as an herb.)

Variants and Related Words

• Rau diếp: The most common and full term for "lettuce". Using "rau diếp" is more precise than using "diếp" alone.

  • Rau diếp cuộn rất ngon. (Lettuce wraps are very delicious.)

• Xà lách: Another common Vietnamese word for lettuce, often used interchangeably with "rau diếp", though it can sometimes refer more specifically to head lettuce varieties.

  • Anh ấy thích ăn xà lách trộn. (He likes to eat mixed lettuce salad.)

Synonyms

• Lactuca sativa: The scientific name for lettuce.
• Leafy green: A general term that includes lettuce.

Notes on Meaning

• The word "diếp" by itself is a shortened form. In everyday conversation, it is almost always used in the compound form "rau diếp" to clearly mean "lettuce". Using "diếp" alone might be ambiguous or sound incomplete.
• It is crucial to distinguish "diếp" (lettuce) from the compound "diếp cá", which is a completely different herb with a strong odor, used in Vietnamese cuisine and traditional medicine.

1. (thường gọi rau diếp) Lettuce