Pickle
/ˈpɪkəl/
nounverbA2
Definition
As a noun, a pickle is usually a cucumber that has been soaked in a salty or sour liquid to keep it fresh for a long time and give it a strong taste. As a verb, to pickle means to soak food in this salty or sour liquid to preserve it and change its flavor.
Was this helpful?
See It in Action
Noun: A vegetable (usually cucumber) preserved in salty or sour liquid
- •I like to eat a pickle with my sandwich.
- •She bought a jar of pickles at the store.
- •The pickle was very sour and crunchy.
Verb: To preserve food by soaking it in salty or sour liquid
- •We pickle cucumbers to make pickles.
- •My grandmother pickled some vegetables last summer.
- •Pickling helps food last longer without going bad.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "pickle" like "vegetable," but one that is kept in a special salty water to last longer and taste sour.
- ✓Picture a crunchy green cucumber in a jar filled with cloudy, sour water.
- ✓It's the feeling of eating something sour and salty that wakes up your taste buds.
- ✓Sounds like "pickle" → imagine a little green vegetable wearing a tiny backpack (the jar) going on a sour adventure.
- ✓Think of the story of a sandwich with a crunchy pickle inside that makes the sandwich special.
- ✓NOT like "fresh cucumber" (which is soft and plain), a pickle is sour and preserved.
- ✓NOT like "jam" (sweet preserved fruit), a pickle is salty or sour preserved vegetable.
- ✓As a verb, NOT like "cook" (using heat), "pickle" uses cold salty water to save food.
Try Other Words
- •Preserve: to keep food safe from spoiling (Use when talking about general food saving methods, not just sour or salty soaking)
- •Pickle (noun): preserved vegetable in salty/sour liquid (Use in food contexts)
- •Brine: salty water used for pickling (Use when focusing on the liquid, not the food)
- •Ferment: to change food by natural bacteria (Use when the food changes by natural process, sometimes related to pickling)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "pickle" (whole word, no prefix or suffix)
- •Etymology: From Middle English "pikel" meaning small bits of preserved food, from Dutch or Low German origin
- •Historical development: Originally meant small pieces of preserved food, now mainly means sour preserved cucumber or similar vegetables
- •Modern usage: Commonly used for sour preserved cucumbers, also a verb for the preservation process in salty or sour liquid
Reflect & Connect
•How do different cultures use pickling to save food and add flavor?
•Can you think of a time when you ate a pickle that changed the taste of your meal?
Fill in the blanks
1.People pickle cucumbers by soaking them in ___ salty or sour liquid to make pickles.
2.A pickle is usually ___ and has a strong sour taste.
3.When you eat a sandwich with a pickle, the pickle adds a ___ flavor.
4.Not all vegetables are pickled; only those that can ___ well in salty water.
5.To pickle food means to ___ it so it lasts longer without spoiling.
6.If food is fresh and not in salty water, it is ___ a pickle.
7.Sometimes people say "in a pickle" to mean they are in a ___ or difficult situation.