Chive

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /t͡ʃaɪv/

Definitions

1. A culinary herb with long, hollow green leaves known for a delicate onion-like taste that enhances various dishes
2. A member of the onion family, this plant produces slender leaves valued for their mild flavor, frequently used in gastronomy
3. A herbaceous plant characterized by its elongated, hollow green leaves, commonly appreciated for imparting a subtle onion flavor to many foods

Etymology: The herb's name has a surprisingly tangled ancestry, with one thread running through Latin onions and another through sprouting shoots. The Latin "cēpa" meant "onion," and it passed through Old French as "chive" into Middle English, where the word kept that onion sense for the plant. Yet English already had its own candidate in "chith" or "chyth," from Old English "ċīþ," meaning a shoot, scion or sprout. The two words merged in Middle English, so the spelling and sound of "chive" absorbed both the Latin onion and the native sprout. That English word is related to "chit" and "scion," which are doublets, meaning they descend from the same root but reached English by different routes. "Scion" comes to mind as a twig or offshoot, and "chit" as a young sprout or shoot, both echoing the old sense of new growth.

Synonyms: herb, scallion, green onion