[va.nil.la] n [NL, fr. Sp vainilla vanilla (plant and fruit), dim. of vaina sheath, fr. L vagina sheath, vagina] (1662) 1 a: vanilla bean b: a commercially important extract of the vanilla bean that is used esp. as a flavoring
2: any of a genus (Vanilla) of tropical American climbing epiphytic orchids
[2]vanilla adj (1846) 1: flavored with vanilla
2: lacking distinction: plain, ordinary