Lens culinaris
| Lentil | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Puy (left), green, and red (right) lentils | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Lens |
| Species: | L. culinaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Lens culinaris Medik. | |
| Subspecies | |
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| Synonyms | |
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The lentil (Lens culinaris or Lens esculenta) is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about 40 cm (16 in) tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the majority of world production comes from Canada and India, producing 58% combined of the world total.
In cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, where lentils are a staple, split lentils (often with their hulls removed) known as daal are often cooked into a thick curry/gravy that is usually eaten with rice or rotis.
English
Etymology
From Middle English lentile, from Old French lentille from Latin lenticula, diminutive of lēns, from a Proto-Indo-European root shared by German Linse and Ancient Greek λάθυρος (láthuros). Doublet of lenticula.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈlɛntəl/
- Rhymes: -ɛntəl
- Hyphenation: len‧til
Noun
lentil (plural lentils)
- Any of several plants of the genus Lens, especially Lens culinaris, from southwest Asia, that have edible
