vanilla
vanilla Lexical Profile
vanilla Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Flavored with or having the sweet, aromatic scent of vanilla.
"The bakery sold out of its freshly baked vanilla cupcakes before noon."
Having no special, extra, or unusual features; ordinary, standard, or conventional.
"Many players prefer the vanilla version of the software without any third-party modifications."
Of a pale, creamy off-white or yellowish-white color.
"They painted the living room walls a warm vanilla shade to brighten the space."
• noun
A sweet, aromatic culinary flavoring substance extracted from the cured seed pods of the vanilla orchid, or made synthetically, widely used in desserts, beverages, and perfumery.
"She added a teaspoon of pure vanilla to the cake batter before pouring it into the pan."
A food item, especially ice cream, pudding, or yogurt, that is flavored with vanilla.
"He ordered a scoop of chocolate and a scoop of vanilla in a waffle cone."
The long, slender, capsule-like fruit pod (commonly called a bean) produced by the climbing orchid Vanilla planifolia, which turns dark brown and richly fragrant after harvesting and curing.
"The pastry chef split a whole vanilla lengthwise to scrape out the tiny black seeds inside."
Any of various tropical climbing orchids of the genus Vanilla (family Orchidaceae), native to Mexico and Central America, bearing fleshy aerial roots and clusters of fragrant, short-lived greenish-yellow or creamy white flowers that yield aromatic seed pods.
"Because its delicate blossoms open for only a single day, cultivated vanilla must be pollinated by hand on commercial farms."
• Rhymes for vanilla
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-17th century from Spanish vainilla, meaning 'little pod' (a diminutive of vaina, 'sheath' or 'scabbard'), from Latin vagina, in reference to the long, slender shape of the orchid seed pod.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.