Lettuce
/ˈlɛtɪs/noun
A green leafy vegetable commonly used in salads.
Did you know?Lettuce derives from the Latin 'lactuca', meaning 'milk', referencing its milky latex, which was historically believed to possess sedative properties.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leḱ-
“to be soft or tender.”
Latin
Latin
lactuca
“a plant with milky sap.”
Old French
Old French
letue
“lettuce, the leafy vegetable.”
Middle English
Middle English
lettuce
“the green salad vegetable.”
Modern English
English
lettuce
“the widely cultivated leafy vegetable.”