lettuce

noun let·tuce \ ˈle-təs \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of lettuce

: any of a genus (Lactuca) of composite plants; especially : a common garden vegetable (L. sativa) whose succulent leaves are used especially in salads

See lettuce defined for English-language learners

See lettuce defined for kids

Examples of lettuce in a Sentence

I like a little lettuce and tomato on my sandwiches.

Recent Examples of lettuce from the Web

Heat and crumble the leftover loaf and spoon into heated taco shells; top with shredded lettuce.

— atlanta life, ajc, "7 Day Menu Planner," 6 Apr. 2018
The whole little pie is generously topped with lettuce, sour cream and a pleasantly peppery salsa.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Anchorage, rejoice: food truck season has arrived," 6 Apr. 2018
The inside’s like an Italian muffuletta, anchored by black olive tapenade with salami, ham, provolone, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and Italian dressing.

— mike sutter, San Antonio Express-News, "5 San Antonio sandwiches to eat right now," 2 Apr. 2018
Katie’s mustard lettuce is a crinkly chartreuse, and the leaves form bouquets.

— cynthia kling, WSJ, "Old-School Gardening: The 8 Most Reliable Flowers and Veggies to Grow From Seed," 23 Mar. 2018
Back in the garden, Meehan places a pizza box on the dirt next to one of the beds, kneels down on top of it, rolls up his sleeves, and prepares to switch out some of the lettuces.

— jenn harris, latimes.com, "When farm-to-table comes to your own front yard," 14 Mar. 2018
Urlich’s rendition comes with two beef patties with cheddar cheese, pickles and shredded lettuce.

— michael bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, "Best views of San Francisco? Head to MerSea, a new Treasure Island restaurant," 9 Mar. 2018
Ask your server to swap buns with lettuce to create this low-carb meal.

— meghan overdeep, Southern Living, "Chick fil-A’s Secret Menu Will Blow Your Mind," 27 Feb. 2018
The roll is glazed in chile sauce ($8.75, or $11.75 with rice and refried beans), and the traditional filling is potato and chorizo, topped with lettuce, sour cream and queso fresco.

— carol deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Dishes that shine at Las 7 Estrellas Mexican restaurant," 20 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lettuce.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of lettuce

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

LETTUCE Defined for English Language Learners

lettuce

noun

Definition of lettuce for English Language Learners

: a plant that has large leaves that are eaten especially in salads

LETTUCE Defined for Kids

lettuce

noun let·tuce \ ˈle-təs \

Definition of lettuce for Students

: a garden plant that has large crisp leaves eaten especially in salads

History for lettuce

Many kinds of lettuce have a milky white juice. Lettuce owes its name to this fact. The Latin name for lettuce, lactuca, from which we get English lettuce (through medieval French letuse), came from the Latin word for milk, lac.