Lettuce Is Named After Milk
Lettuce is a leafy salad plant. Its name comes from the Latin for milk, because a cut stem leaks a white sap.
Lettuce is a leafy plant grown for salads. Cut the stem of an older plant and a white sap seeps out, which is why the Romans called it *lactuca*, from *lac*, milk. The sap is bitter, and it is one reason gardeners are told to harvest before the plant bolts.
- A leafy salad plant. *A head of lettuce.*
- The leaves as food. *Lettuce, tomato and cucumber.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | lettuce | Crisp lettuce. |
| Plural | lettuces | Two lettuces. |
| Related | salad | A green salad. |
| Related | bolt | The lettuce bolted. |
| Related | romaine / cos | Romaine hearts. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Wash the lettuce and dry it well.Wet leaves will not hold dressing.
- The lettuce bolted in the heat.Bolting means running to seed.
- A head of iceberg keeps for a week.Head is the countable unit.
Lettuce varieties
- Iceberg — crisp, pale, mild
- Romaine or cos — upright, sturdy leaves, used in Caesar salad
- Butterhead — soft round leaves
- Little gem — small and sweet, between cos and butterhead
- Lollo rosso — frilled and red-edged
From Old French *laitue*, from Latin *lactuca*, from *lac*, milk. The same *lac* gives *lactose*, *lactic* and the *Milky Way*'s Latin name.
Why does lettuce turn bitter?
Because it starts producing more of its milky sap as it bolts, especially in heat. Picking young and keeping it watered helps.
Is lettuce countable?
Both. A head of lettuce or two lettuces are fine; the chopped leaves are uncountable.