A variant spelling of vanilla, the flavoring extracted from vanilla orchids, or the plant itself.
From Spanish 'vainilla,' which is a diminutive of 'vaina' meaning 'sheath' or 'pod,' referring to the pod-like fruit. The word traveled from Nahuatl (Aztec language) through Spanish into English.
Vanilla wasn't always common—it took conquistadors, ocean voyages, and centuries of cultivation to make this luxury spice affordable, and you can trace that journey through the word's shape-shifting from Aztec to Spanish to English.
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