Plural of endive; leafy vegetables related to chicory with slightly bitter taste, often used in salads.
From Old French 'endive,' borrowed from Arabic 'hindibā,' which itself may derive from Persian. The plant was cultivated in Mediterranean regions and trade spread the word globally.
The word 'endive' traveled through Arabic, French, and into English as the plant itself traveled trade routes—it's a vegetable word that's literally a linguistic souvenir from the Silk Road.
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