Quinoa

//ˈkin.wɑ// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A goosefoot (Chenopodium quinoa) native to the Andes and cultivated for its edible seeds. countable, uncountable

    "Chenopodium quinoa Will, (quinoa) is native to the Andes, and the seeds are a staple grain in parts of South America. The newly formed Canadian Quinoa Association anticipated growing about 400 ha of quinoa annually (Anonymous 1992e)."

  2. 2
    grain that is rich in protein and much lighter than other grains wordnet
  3. 3
    The high-protein dried fruits and seeds of this plant, used as a food staple and ground into flour. countable, uncountable

    "Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the quinoa, and sprinkle with salt and pepper."

Example

More examples

"Mary made a kale and quinoa salad."

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish quinua, from Quechua kinwa.

Related phrases

chenopodium quinoa

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.