Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of plant: A widely cultivated Eurasian annual herb (Lens culinaris) grown for its edible seeds and its leafy stalks, which are used as fodder.
   • The seed of this plant: A small, round, flat, lens-shaped seed, commonly dried and used for food. It is cooked like peas and can also be ground into meal or flour.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The farmer grows lentil for both its seeds and its stalks.
  • She added a cup of red lentil to the soup.
  • This curry is made with brown lentil.

Advanced Usage

• "Lentil soup": A common dish made primarily from lentils.
  • A warm bowl of lentil soup is perfect for a cold day.
• As a countable noun for individual seeds: While often used as a mass noun, it can refer to individual seeds.
  • A single lentil rolled off the table.

Variants and Related Words

• Lentils (n): The plural form, commonly used to refer to the seeds collectively.
  • I bought a bag of lentils.
• Lentil plant (n): Refers specifically to the herbaceous plant itself.
  • The lentil plant has delicate flowers.

Synonyms

• Pulse: (A general term for the edible seeds of legumes like lentils, peas, and beans).
• Legume: (A broader term for plants in the Fabaceae family, which includes lentils).

Related Phrases

• A hill of lentils: (An idiom, though rare, sometimes used to signify something of little value or a trivial amount, drawing from biblical stories).
  • He sold his birthright for a hill of lentils.

Noun

1. widely cultivated Eurasian annual herb grown for its edible flattened seeds that are cooked like peas and also ground into meal and for its leafy stalks that are used as fodder
2. the fruit or seed of a lentil plant
3. round flat seed of the lentil plant used for food