A lentil is a small, round, dry seed that people cook and eat. It looks a little like a very small bean, often shaped like a tiny disc. The common colours are brown, green, and orange-red. You buy them dry in a bag, or already cooked in a tin; you almost never eat them raw. When you boil them they go soft, and they are often used in soup or stew. They are cheap, they fill you up, and they are everyday food in much of South Asia, the Middle East, and southern Europe. In English this is a plain kitchen word, not a fancy one. One seed is a lentil; a pile of them is lentils.

小扁豆（也稱兵豆。台灣口語裡「扁豆」有時指別種豆，說小扁豆較清楚。）