Buckwheat Meaning
/ˈbʌkʍiːt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn Asian plant, of the species Fagopyrum esculentum.
nounThe fruit of this plant used as a pseudocereal.
Sentence Examples
There is a custom of eating buckwheat noodles on New Year's Eve in Japan.
Buckwheat has become more expensive.
Buckwheat will be served as a side dish.
CEFR Practice Quiz
For a gluten-free pancake breakfast, she ground raw ____ into flour and mixed it with eggs and milk.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
____ flour is used to make traditional pancakes in many different lands.
Word Origin & History
Ultimately from Middle Low German bōkwête (“beech-wheat”) (so called because of its triangular seeds, which resemble the much larger seeds of the beech nut from the beech tree, and the fact that it is used like wheat), probably via Middle Dutch boecweit, boecweite. Compare German Buchweizen. Despite the name, buckwheat is not related to wheat, as it is not a grass.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I'll need a few things. I'll need some mayonnaise and a silver tin of sardines, a banana. I'll need some buckwheat flapjack mix."
— 2017, Sam Shepard, chapter 27, in Spy of the First Person, →ISBN, page 62:
"Mafia mythology has many believe that the method used to eliminate a person is often a reflection of the respect for that individual. In this case, the Profaci gunman must have witnessed a "buckwheat's" execution, where an example is being made of the victim by inflicting pain for a prolonged period."
— 2000, Olindo Romeo Chiocca, Mobsters and Thugs: Quotes from the Underworld, page 17:
"Mob murders are seldom buckwheats, being instead simple business matters. An exception is made, however, for murders of example, such as in the case of informers, or mobsters who hold out on gang revenues […]"
— 2006, Carl Sifakis, The Mafia Encyclopedia, page 66:
"How will "Buckwheat" Obama handle the ever increasing nuke threat from
Iran?"
— 2008 February 4, Gabby Hayes, “"Buckwheat" Obama and Iran”, in alt.politics (Usenet):
"You know as well as I do that OIF will end sweetly, nicely, AND WAAY
BEFORE 2012. Unlike Hitlary (always ducking sniper fire) and
Buckwheat (doesn't know when to duck or how to fire), McAmnesty will
leave a bloody trail of blasted ass from the Mall to Langley!"
— 2008 May 6, Patriot Games, “Buckwheat Gets Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Endorsement!”, in alt.politics (Usenet):
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
For a gluten-free pancake breakfast, she ground raw ____ into flour and mixed it with eggs and milk.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
____ flour is used to make traditional pancakes in many different lands.