Quinoa Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

quinoa American [keen-wah, kee-noh-uh] / ˈkin wɑ, kiˈnoʊ ə / Also quinua

noun

1. a tall crop plant, Chenopodium quinoa, of the amaranth family, cultivated mainly in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile for its small, ivory-colored seed, which is used as a food staple.

quinoa British / ˈkiːnəʊə, kwɪˈnəʊə /

noun

1. a grain high in nutrients traditionally grown as a staple food high in the Andes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of quinoa

First recorded in 1615–25; from Spanish quinoa, quínoa, quinua, from Quechua kínua, kinúwa

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The fancy shoppy-shop with quinoa and bulgur in matte, tasteful tubs?

From Salon

Most of the starters — salmon tartare with quinoa, meat sushi and beef carpaccio topped with Parmesan — didn’t wow us, despite their theatrical presentation.

From Salon

Delgado chalks up his health to the fact that he’s been a pescatarian for 45 years, with a penchant for salmon, avocados, quinoa and garbanzo beans, and that he prioritizes hydration.

From Los Angeles Times

He is making more salads and eating more high-protein foods such as quinoa.

From The Wall Street Journal

The complete kit includes cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, and radicchio, roasted sunflower seeds, toasted quinoa, dried bits of mango and a Thai-style sweet and spicy vinaigrette.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.