esculent

adjective

es·​cu·​lent ˈe-skyə-lənt How to pronounce esculent (audio)
: edible
esculent noun

Did you know?

One appealing thing about esculent is that this word, which comes from the Latin for food (esca), has been around for over 375 years. If we give you just one more tidbit of etymology-that esca is from Latin edere, which means "to eat"-can you pick which of the following words is NOT related to esculent? Comestible, edacious, edible, escalade, escarole, or obese. Comestible (meaning "edible"), edacious (meaning "voracious"), edible, escarole (a type of salad green), and obese are all descendants of edere. Only escalade (meaning "an act of scaling walls") doesn't belong on the list. It descends from the Italian scalare, meaning "to scale."

Examples of esculent in a Sentence

harvesting wild mushrooms is no business for amateurs, since some of the esculent ones closely resemble poisonous varieties

Word History

Etymology

Latin esculentus, from esca food, from edere to eat — more at eat

First Known Use

1626, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of esculent was in 1626

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near esculent

Cite this Entry

“Esculent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/esculent. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

esculent

adjective
es·​cu·​lent ˈes-kyə-lənt How to pronounce esculent (audio)
: fit to eat

Medical Definition

esculent

adjective
es·​cu·​lent ˈes-kyə-lənt How to pronounce esculent (audio)
: being edible
esculent noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!