Vinaigrette

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /vɪnəˈɡɹɛt/

Definitions

1. A condiment typically consisting of oil, vinegar, and herbs designed to enhance salads and cooked vegetables
2. A flavorful dressing created from an emulsion of oil and vinegar, often seasoned, for salads or drizzling on dishes
3. A mixture of oil, vinegar, and seasonings used to dress salads and vegetables

Etymology: "Vinaigrette" is French for a little vinegar, from "vinaigre," which joins "vin" (wine) and "aigre" (sour), so the name literally means "sour wine." The French word was borrowed into English, and the dressing it names is an emulsion of oil and vinegar, the two liquids that refuse to mix until whisked together. The word has a second, surprising life in Russian. In Russian cookery, "винегрет" (vinegret) became the name for a chopped salad of beets, potatoes, pickles and other vegetables, dressed with oil and vinegar. English borrowed that sense back, so the same word can name both a sauce and a salad built around the vegetables it dresses. The Russian form also survives as a doublet, "vinegret," in English.

Synonyms: dressing, sauce