What does "vanilla" mean?

1. (flavouring) a substance used to give a sweet, pleasant taste to food like ice cream or cakes. 2. (plain or standard) basic or ordinary, with no extra features or special changes. 3. (conventional or unimaginative) describing someone or something that is very traditional and not adventurous. 4. (a pale colour) a very pale, yellowish-white colour.

vanilla

n. · adj.

US //vəˈnɪɫə// UK //vɐnˈɪlɐ// vanil·la

1 flavouring (n.)
B1 Intermediate Cooking

a substance used to give a sweet, pleasant taste to food like ice cream or cakes.

the extract or flavouring derived from the seed pods of the vanilla orchid.

Example

She added a few drops of vanilla to the cake batter for a better smell.

Example

The recipe calls for authentic vanilla bean rather than synthetic essence to achieve a more complex flavour profile in the custard.
- flavouring
- extract
2 plain or standard (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Computing

basic or ordinary, with no extra features or special changes.

denoting a standard, basic, or unmodified version of something; often used in software or product descriptions.

Example

I prefer the vanilla version of the app because the new features are too confusing.

Example

The developer recommended installing the vanilla software first before attempting to apply any third-party patches or visual mods.
- basic
- standard
- unmodified
- default

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3 conventional or unimaginative (adj.)
C1 Advanced Informal

describing someone or something that is very traditional and not adventurous.

conventional, traditional, or lacking in novelty; frequently used to describe lifestyle choices or artistic styles that avoid experimentation.

Example

Their lifestyle is quite vanilla, but they seem very happy with their routine.

Example

Critics dismissed the director's latest effort as a vanilla romantic comedy that failed to challenge any genre conventions.
4 a pale colour (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

a very pale, yellowish-white colour.

a specific shade of off-white or pale cream, resembling the colour of natural vanilla-flavoured dairy products.

Example

The walls were painted a soft vanilla to make the room feel warmer.

Example

The interior designer suggested a vanilla palette for the upholstery to complement the dark mahogany of the library shelves.
- cream
- off white

Origin

Borrowed from Spanish vainilla, a diminutive form of vaina (“pod”). "Plain" senses derive from the perceived plainness of vanilla ice cream.