spinach

spinach
—spinachlike, adj.
/spin"ich/, n.
1. a plant, Spinacia oleracea, cultivated for its edible, crinkly or flat leaves.
2. the leaves.
[1520-30; < MF espinache, espinage < OSp espinaca, alter. of Ar isfanakh, perh. < Pers]

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Hardy, leafy annual (Spinacia oleracea) of the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae), used as a vegetable.

The edible leaves, somewhat triangular and either flat or puckered, are arranged in a rosette, from which a seedstalk emerges. Spinach requires cool weather and deep, rich, well-limed soil to give quick growth and maximum leaf area; sowing seed every two weeks from early spring to late summer provides a steady supply. A nutritious vegetable, spinach is rich in iron and vitamins A and C.

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▪ plant
      (species Spinacia oleracea), hardy, leafy annual of the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae), used as a vegetable. The edible leaves are arranged in a rosette, from which a seedstalk emerges. The leaves are somewhat triangular and may be flat or puckered. Spinach requires cool weather and deep, rich, well-limed soil to give quick growth and maximum leaf area. Seed can be sown every two weeks from early spring to late summer, in rows 30 cm (12 inches) apart, the plantlets being thinned in the row. The last sowings produce young plants that yield a crop in the autumn and stand over the winter, providing leaves in early spring or even through the winter if the weather is not too severe.

      Widely grown in northern Europe and the United States, spinach is marketed fresh, canned, and frozen. It received considerable impetus as a crop in the 1920s when attention was first called to its high content of iron and vitamins A and C. Spinach is served as a salad green and as a cooked vegetable. Spinach can be made into various soups, soufflés, and mousses and is used as an ingredient in various prepared dishes.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Spinach — Spin ach, Spinage Spin age, n. [OF. espinache, espinoche, F. [ e]pinard; cf. F. spinace, Sp. espinaca; all fr. Ar. isf[=a]n[=a]j, isfin[=a]j, aspan[=a]kh, probably of Persian origin.] (Bot.) A common pot herb ({Spinacia oleracea}) belonging to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • spinach — c.1400, from Anglo Fr. spinache, O.Fr. espinache (Mod.Fr. épinard), from O.Prov. espinarc, which perhaps is via Catalan espinac, from Andalusian Arabic isbinakh, from Arabic isbanakh, from Pers. aspanakh spinach. But OED is not convinced the… …   Etymology dictionary

  • spinach — The recommended pronunciation is spin ij, but spin ich is usual in AmE and also occurs in BrE …   Modern English usage

  • spinach — ► NOUN ▪ a plant with large dark green leaves which are eaten as a vegetable. ORIGIN probably from Old French espinache, from Persian …   English terms dictionary

  • spinach — [spin′ich] n. [< MFr espinach < (? via ML spinachia) OSp espinaca < Ar isbānakh < Pers aspanākh] 1. a plant (Spinacia oleracea) of the goosefoot family, with large, dark green, juicy, edible leaves, usually eaten cooked 2. the leaves… …   English World dictionary

  • Spinach — Taxobox name = Spinach image width = 270px image caption = Spinach in flower regnum = Plantae divisio = Magnoliophyta classis = Magnoliopsida ordo = Caryophyllales familia = Amaranthaceae, formerly Chenopodiaceae [http://ecoport.org/ep?Plant=1997 …   Wikipedia

  • spinach — /ˈspɪnɪtʃ / (say spinich) noun 1. Also, English spinach. an annual herb, Spinacia oleracea, cultivated for its succulent leaves. 2. Also, US, Swiss chard. a form of beet, Beta vulgaris cicla, with large, firm, strongly veined green leaves and a… …  

  • spinach — [16] The ultimate origin of the word spinach is Persian aspanākh, which passed via Arabic isfināj, medieval Latin spinachia, and Spanish espinaca into Old French as espinache. Middle Dutch borrowed this as spinaetse, the probable source of… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • spinach — [16] The ultimate origin of the word spinach is Persian aspanākh, which passed via Arabic isfināj, medieval Latin spinachia, and Spanish espinaca into Old French as espinache. Middle Dutch borrowed this as spinaetse, the probable source of… …   Word origins

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