chicory
chicory Lexical Profile
• noun
The bitter, crisp edible leaves or blanched chicon heads of cultivated varieties of Cichorium intybus (including radicchio and Belgian endive), eaten raw in salads or braised as a leafy green vegetable.
"The chef tossed crisp leaves of bitter chicory with toasted walnuts and a warm vinaigrette."
A bushy Eurasian perennial plant (Cichorium intybus) of the daisy family Asteraceae, widely naturalized along roadsides and fields and notable for its bright, sky-blue, rayed blossoms that open in the morning.
"Bright blue chicory flowers lined the sunny gravel roadside throughout the late summer."
The dried, roasted, and ground taproot of the chicory plant, used as a rich, caffeine-free coffee substitute or blended with ground coffee (notably in New Orleans cuisine).
"In New Orleans, traditional café au lait is brewed with a dark roast coffee blended with chicory."
Word Nuance & Usage
Because of historical naming confusion between Cichorium intybus and Cichorium endivia, what British speakers call 'chicory' (a compact pale head of leaves) is typically called 'Belgian endive' in North America, while North Americans often use 'chicory' for curly endive.
• Rhymes for chicory
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late Middle Ages via Old French chicorée from Latin cichorium and Ancient Greek kikhōrion, a Mediterranean plant name of probable pre-Greek or Egyptian origin.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.