ˈlent ə l noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French lentille, from Latin lenticula, diminutive of lent-, lens; akin to Greek lathyros chickling, lathyris caper spurge
1.
a. : a widely cultivated Eurasian annual plant ( Lens culinaris ) grown for its flattened seeds that are cooked like peas or beans and are also ground into meal and for its leafy stalks that are used as fodder
b. : the seed of the lentil
2. : a thin-edged geological stratum of limited extent enclosed by strata of different material