Quinoa

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkiːn.wɑː/

Definitions

1. A cultivated grain with edible seeds, often used as a nutritious alternative to rice or wheat
2. an ancient South American crop valued for its high protein content and gluten-free properties
3. a versatile food source rich in vitamins and minerals, increasingly popular in health-conscious diets

Etymology: Quinoa reached English from Spanish "quinua", which in turn was taken from Quechua "kinwa", the name of the plant in the Andean languages of South America, where it was cultivated long before European contact. The Spanish form was the one that stuck, so the English word carries the trace of a colonial-era encounter: Spanish speakers heard the Quechua name and adapted it to their own spelling and sounds. The plant itself is a pseudocereal. Its seeds are eaten like grain, but it belongs to the goosefoot family rather than the grasses that give us wheat and rice, which is why the word is used for a grain only loosely. The English term is a loanword, so it kept the Andean name rather than being translated into a description of the plant.