vanilla

noun

a distinctive fragrant flavor characteristic of vanilla beans

a flavoring prepared from vanilla beans macerated in alcohol (or imitating vanilla beans)

any of numerous climbing plants of the genus Vanilla having fleshy leaves and clusters of large waxy highly fragrant white or green or topaz flowers

adjective

plain and without any extras or adornments

flavored with vanilla extract

Roots

vainavanill- · Spanish · little pod

Synonyms & related words for vanilla

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of vanilla. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to vanilla

Explore words related to vanilla — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include vanillin, buttercream, caramel, butterscotch, vanillic, ganache, cinnamon, raspberry. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does vanilla come from?

The word vanilla breaks down into one root of Spanish origin: the root vanill-, from Spanish vaina (“little pod”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.