vanilla

1 of 2

noun

va·​nil·​la və-ˈni-lə  -ˈne- 

1

a

: vanilla bean

b

: a commercially important extract of the vanilla bean that is used especially as a flavoring

2

: any of a genus (Vanilla) of tropical American climbing epiphytic orchids

vanilla

2 of 2

adjective

1

: flavored with vanilla

2

: lacking distinction : plain, ordinary, conventional

Did you know?

How did vanilla get such a bad rap? The flavor with that name certainly has enough fans, with the bean of the Vanilla genus of orchids finding its way into products ranging from ice cream to coffee to perfumes to air fresheners. Vanilla's unfortunate reputation arose due to its being regarded as the "basic" flavor among ice-cream selections, particularly as more complex flavors emerged on the market. (Its somewhat beigey color probably didn't help.) From there, people began using the adjective to describe anything plain, ordinary, or conventional.

Synonyms

Adjective

• beige
• characterless
• faceless
• featureless
• indistinctive
• neutral
• noncommittal
• nondescript

Examples of vanilla in a Sentence

Noun

The frosting is flavored with vanilla.

Adjective

The décor is pretty vanilla.

a plain vanilla version of a song that's been recorded more times than necessary

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Other tasters made note of a distinct hum of vanilla in each sip. —Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 17 Dec. 2024

Our Reviews on The White Chocolate Raspberry Round Cake Presentation: A vanilla cake is topped with varying layers of raspberry jam, white chocolate ganache, mascarpone mousse, and a white chocolate topping. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 17 Dec. 2024

Adjective

The court has ruled that the companies must develop a new product formula that does not include vanilla derived from non-vanilla plant sources within 12 months of the settlement’s finalization, according to the news release. —Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from New Latin, borrowed from Spanish vainilla "the vanilla plant and fruit," diminutive of vaina "sheath, pod," going back to Latin vāgīna "scabbard, sheath"; replacing earlier vaynilla, borrowed from Spanish

First Known Use

Noun

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing vanilla

• plain-vanilla
• vanilla bean

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Kids Definition

vanilla

noun

va·​nil·​la

və-ˈnil-ə,

-ˈnel-

: a flavoring made from the long pods of a tropical American climbing orchid

also : this orchid or one of the same genus

Medical Definition

vanilla

noun

va·​nil·​la və-ˈnil-ə  -ˈnel- 

1

a

: vanilla bean

b

: a commercially important extract of the vanilla bean that is prepared by soaking comminuted vanilla beans in water and ethyl alcohol and that is used especially as a flavoring (as in pharmaceutical preparations)

2

: any of a genus (Vanilla) of tropical American climbing orchids