Definition of "primavera" []

• A tree (Cybistax donnellsmithii) of Mexico and Guatemala, having opposite, palmately compound leaves, yellow flowers, and close-grained, light-colored wood. (noun)
• The wood of this tree, used in cabinetry. Also called white mahogany. (noun)
• Garnished or served with assorted fresh vegetables: pasta primavera; shrimp in a primavera sauce. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In Italian, spring, la primavera, is feminine; l'estate, l'autumno, l'inverno, are masculine; in verse il verno is occasionally used for the winter, and the gender of summer is sometimes changed to a feminine substantive, la state."
• "As a culinary term, "primavera" refers to the use of fresh vegetables."
• "Penne Primavera - Ah the bitter irony of making something titled "primavera" with two solid feet of snow on the ground."