salep


Also found in: Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

sal·ep

 (săl′əp)
n.
A starchy meal ground from the dried roots of various orchids chiefly of the genus Orchis, used for food and formerly as medicine.

[Turkish salep, sahlep, salep, orchid from which salep is made, from Ottoman Turkish sa'lep, sālep, from Arabic (ḫuṣā al)-ṯa'lab, (testicles of the) fox (from the appearance of the tubers); see ṯʕlb in Semitic roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

salep

(ˈsælɛp)
n
(Botany) the dried ground starchy tubers of various orchids, used for food and formerly as drugs
[C18: via French and Turkish from Arabic sahlab, shortened from khusy ath-tha'lab, literally: fox's testicles, name of an orchid]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sal•ep

(ˈsæl ɛp)

n.
a starchy, demulcent drug or foodstuff consisting of the dried tubers of certain orchids.
[1730–40; < Turkish salep]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
Sina well compounded when the moon stands in the proper House; yellow earths I have - arplan from China that makes a man renew his youth and astonish his household; saffron from Kashmir, and the best salep of Kabul.
[2.] Kashani HH, Malekzadeh Shiravani S, Hoshmand F (2012) The effect of aqueous extract of Salep prepared from root-tubers of Dactylorhiza maculate (Orchidaceae) on the testes and sexual hormones of immature male mice.
Flavoured powder drinks are consumed mostly by children, and the packaged format of other plant-based hot drinks, which is comprised of the traditional drink salep, made from the root of a special type of orchid, is also consumed by young people in urban areas.
People were handed out salep, a traditional Turkish drink, and tokens during the ceremony.
The company continues to add new food and drinks to its menu, targeting health-conscious consumers that prefer natural and healthy options without preservatives such as light salep (which is a traditional milk based hot drink made of milk and a herbal root, typically wild orchid root) and fresh red mulberry juice.
Tubers of this species are supposed as a potent medicine in Leucorrhea in Traditional System of Medicine (TSM) rich source of mucilage and are used to make Salep, as food and medicine [7], useful as expectorant and astringent [8].
We went for an hour-long trip, which costs TL150 per bike (around $84) and includes a rest-break at a warm and tiny coffee shop, where you can slurp on a steaming cup of Salep - a delicious concoction of milk, cinnamon and honey.