What does salade mean?
A salade is a salad, particularly one consisting of several ingredients and served as a distinct dish. Its use often suggests restaurant food, whether on a menu or in conversation about dining out. English speakers in North America may encounter the word more often than those in Britain, where “salad” is the normal general term. A salade can be simple, such as a mixed green salad, or composed, with vegetables, fruits, herbs, cheese, meat, or a carefully prepared dressing. The word has a slightly formal culinary character and is less likely to describe a casual bowl of salad made at home. Even so, it remains a natural and precise menu term, especially for a salad presented as a course or centerpiece rather than merely as a side dish.
nounA salad, especially a mixed or composed salad served as a separate course. The term is chiefly used on restaurant menus and in somewhat formal contexts.
- A mixed or composed salad served as a dish, especially at a restaurant.
"She ordered a garden salade with tomatoes, cucumber, and a vinaigrette dressing."
"The salade was dressed at the table with a light vinaigrette."
"Our menu features a seasonal salade of roasted vegetables and fresh herbs."
Salades is used when referring to multiple individual salad dishes, particularly on menus.
"The menu offers three seasonal salads and several composed salads."
A salade is essentially a salad with a French accent: the word traveled into English through French cooking and restaurant culture.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does salade come from?
Salade entered English from French salade, a word borrowed from Italian salata. The Italian term in turn derives from Latin salata, meaning “salted” and referring originally to a dish seasoned with salt. The English words salad and saline belong to the same broader Latin etymological family associated with salt.
Related word forms
How salade is actually used
Salade is more common in North America than in British English and may sound restaurant-associated, formal, or slightly old-fashioned. In British English, salad is ordinarily preferred in most everyday contexts.
Easily confused with salade
Salad is the ordinary English word for a dish of vegetables or other ingredients, whereas salade is a more formal or menu-oriented term often used for a composed salad.