salad

1. uncountable, countable a mixture of raw vegetables such as lettuce, tomato and cucumber, usually served with other food as part of a meal
• All main courses come with salad or vegetables.
• Is cold meat and salad OK for lunch?
• a side salad (= a small bowl of salad served with the main course of a meal)
• a salad bowl (= a large bowl for serving salad in)

see also Caesar salad, green salad

2. countable, uncountable (in compounds) meat, fish, cheese, etc. served with salad

• a chicken salad

3. uncountable, countable (in compounds) raw or cooked vegetables, etc. that are cut into small pieces, often mixed with mayonnaise and served cold with other food
• potato salad
• a pasta salad

see also fruit salad

4. uncountable any green vegetable, especially lettuce, that is eaten raw in a salad
• salad plants
Idiom: your salad days
Word Origin:
late Middle English: from Old French salade, from Provençal salada, based on Latin sal ‘salt’.
Collocations:
Cooking
Preparing
prepare a dish/a meal/a menu/dinner/the fish
weigh out 100g/4oz of sugar/the ingredients
wash/rinse the lettuce/spinach/watercress
chop/slice/dice the carrots/onions/potatoes
peel the carrots/onion/potatoes/garlic/orange
grate a carrot/the cheese/some nutmeg
remove/discard the bones/seeds/skin
blend/combine/mix (together) the flour and water/all the ingredients
beat/whisk the cream/eggs/egg whites
knead/shape/roll (out) the dough
Cooking
heat the oil in a frying pan
preheat/heat the oven/(BrE) the grill/(NAmE) the broiler
bring to (BrE) the boil/(NAmE) a boil
stir constantly/gently with a wooden spoon
reduce the heat
simmer gently for 20 minutes/until reduced by half
melt the butter/chocolate/cheese/sugar
brown the meat for 8-20 minutes
drain the pasta/the water from the pot/in a colander
mash the potatoes/banana/avocado
Ways of cooking
cook food/fish/meat/rice/pasta/a Persian dish
bake (a loaf of) bread/a cake/(especially NAmE) cookies/(BrE) biscuits/a pie/potatoes/fish/scones/muffins
boil cabbage/potatoes/an egg/water
fry/deep-fry/stir-fry the chicken/vegetables
grill meat/steak/chicken/sausages/a hot dog
roast potatoes/peppers/meat/chicken/lamb
sauté garlic/mushrooms/onions/potatoes/vegetables
steam rice/vegetables/spinach/asparagus/dumplings
toast bread/nuts
microwave food/popcorn/(BrE) a ready meal
Serving
serve in a glass/on a bed of rice/with potatoes
arrange the slices on a plate/in a layer
carve the meat/lamb/chicken/turkey
dress/toss a salad
dress with/drizzle with olive oil/vinaigrette
top with a slice of lemon/a scoop of ice cream/whipped cream/syrup
garnish with a sprig of parsley/fresh basil leaves/lemon wedges/a slice of lime/a twist of orange
sprinkle with salt/sugar/herbs/parsley/freshly ground black pepper
Example Bank:
• Is the steak served with a side salad?
• She tossed and dressed the salad.

• The sandwiches came with a rather limp salad garnish.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

salad / ˈsæl.əd / noun [ C or U ]

salad

A2 a mixture of uncooked vegetables, usually including lettuce, eaten either as a separate dish or with other food:

Toss (= mix) the salad with a vinaigrette dressing.

Serve the risotto with a mixed salad.

a salad bowl

cheese, egg, etc. salad

cheese, egg, etc. with salad

cooked or uncooked vegetables cut into very small pieces and often mixed with mayonnaise:

potato salad

rice/pasta salad

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

salad

[sæ̱ləd]
salads
1) N-VAR A salad is a mixture of raw foods such as lettuce, cucumber, and tomatoes. It is often served with other food as part of a meal.
→ See also fruit salad
  ...a salad of tomato, onion and cucumber.
  ...potato salad.
2) PHRASE If you refer to your salad days, you are referring to a period of your life when you were young and inexperienced. [LITERARY]
  The Grand Hotel did not seem to have changed since her salad days.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

salad
sal·ad /ˈsæləd/ noun, pl -ads
1 : a mixture of raw green vegetables (such as different types of lettuce) usually combined with other raw vegetables

[count]

• For dinner we had roast chicken and a salad.
• a salad of fresh/local greens
• a spinach salad
• I tossed the salad with some oil and vinegar and set it on the table.

[noncount]

• a bowl of salad
• Would you like soup or salad with your sandwich?
• salad greens [=vegetables that are grown for their leaves and commonly used in salads]
2 [count, noncount] : a mixture of small pieces of raw or cooked food (such as pasta, meat, fruit, eggs, or vegetables) combined usually with a dressing and served cold
• a delicious pasta/potato/fruit salad
• chicken/tuna salad