How do your pronounce 'endives'?
I have always gone with ENN-DIVES (like he dives into the pool).
Yesterday someone on one of the cooking channels pronounced it ON-DEEVS (which presumably is the French pronunciation).
In normal conversation, assuming you talk about endives at all, how do you pronounce it?
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16 Answers
I was raised very lah-di-dah privileged, as is evidenced by the fact that not only am I very familiar with the actual leafy stuff, but pronounce it the second way.
I would say it the French way, I think . On-deev (no s pronounced). But I can also hear myself saying “en-dives” as you do so I’m not sure what would pop out if I ever had to say it. I’ll let you know the next time I’m talking to myself.
On-deeve, but I’m kind of on the fence, like @janbb.
^^ There’s room for two of us. :-)
Without reading the previous comments, I pronounce it Ahn – deeves.
Rhymes with “Con” “Reeves.”
I was taught a hybrid- ON-dive. Accent on the first syllable, a nasalized ahhhn for the first syllable, dive with a long i.
That’s how I ask for it in the grocery store when I want to make fancy hors d’oeuvres using the endive leaves as fancy scoop holders for shrimp.
In French class, we learned that the “e” is pronounced “ah.” Many people say “enn-velope” whereas it’s really “ahn-velope.” The “i” is pronounced “ee” as in “limousine.” “Limo-zeeen.”
^^^ Which is different from Li·mou·sin | \ ˌlē-mu̇-ˈzaⁿ \
@zenvelo: The “i” in limousine should be like the “i” in endives. Limo-zeen, ahn-deeves.
In 62 years I’ve never had a reason to say the word.
The fancy French way because I’m fancy and sophisticated. :)
I don’t think I’ve ever uttered the word in the plural, but I would suspect that I would pronounce the /s/ at the end even if it wouldn’t be pronounced in French. Because the /s/ would be the English plural marker appended to a word with a French-based pronunciation.
I was also unaware of the French pronunciation.
I checked with some online dictionaries, and they give the non-French pronunciation as preferred. I found this site which says that the two pronunciations correspond to two different members of the chicory family, sold in two very different looking forms.
I say it both ways. What first comes to mind is the first pronunciation, but if I was with people who pronounce it the French way I would use that.
When in Rome.
I pronounce it ON-deev but I have got some startled “What?!?” looks when I’ve said it.
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