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endive

Etymology and origin of the English word endive

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɛndaɪv/, /ˈɛndɪv/ (UK); /ˈɛndaɪv/, /ɒnˈdiːv/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English endyve,[2][3][4] from Old French endive,[3][2][5][4] from Medieval Latin endivia,[3][2][5][4] from Medieval Greek entúbia, the plural of entúbion,[3][2][4][6] a diminutive of Greek éntubon,[3][2][6] from Latin intubus (“chicory, endive”).[4][6][5] The word is perhaps of Eastern origin;[5] Egyptian tybi “January”, when the plant grows, has been compared.[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A salad plant of the chicory genus (1373).[2][5][7]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline notes that the original Middle English sense matched the modern American one, the blanched shoots of chicory,[5] but confusion began when Cichorium endivia arrived in Europe from Asia in the 16th century.[5][7] Today what the British call endive Americans call chicory, and the reverse.[5]

Timeline

  • 1373 – endyve.[2]
  • about 1440 – OED's first quotation.[7]
  • 16th century – Cichorium endivia brought to Europe.[5][7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A plant (Cichorium endivia) grown for its crisp, slightly bitter leaves, used in salads; it includes curly endive and escarole.
  2. A variety of chicory grown in the dark to form a narrow head of whitish leaves, called Belgian endive.

Word family

  • Belgian endive
  • French endive
  • chicory
  • escarole
  • succory

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Endive.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/endive. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·