salāts

Via other European languages (cf. French salade, German Salat, Russian салат (salát)), ultimately a borrowing from Vulgar Latin salāta, from saliō “to salt,” from sal “salt,” apparently initially a reference to the sauce (e.g., “salted vegetables”).

salāts m (1st declension)

1. lettuce (herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, esp. Lactuca sativa, cultivated for its edible leaves)

   dārza salāts ― garden lettuce

   lapu salāts ― leafy lettuce

   salāti kā kultūra Eiropā parādījās 16. gadsimta vidū, bet senajiem grieķiem, romiešiem un ēģiptiešiem tie jau bija zināmi ― lettuce as culture (= planted) appeared in Europe in the middle o the 16th century, but it was already known to (ancient) Greeks, Romans and Egyptions before that

2. (usually plural) lettuce (the edible leaves of this plant)

   sagriezt salātus ― to cut, chop the lettuce

   sestdien cepta karaša, gabals saziedējušas rupjmaizes un ar krējumu un rūgušpienu sataisīti salāti ― on Satudary, (there is) baked flatbread, a piece of hardened rye bread and lettuce prepared with cream and curd milk

3. (usually plural) salad (food consisting of fresh or cooked vegetables, perhaps with meat or fish, all cut together and served with sauce, oil, or vinegar)

   dārzeņu, biešu, burkānu salāti ― vegetable, beet, carrot salad

   augļu salāti ― fruit salad

   sēņu salāti ― mushroom salad

   gaļas salāti ― meat salad

   salātu trauks ― salad bowl

   izmērcētas pupiņas novāra, gurķus sarīvē skaidās, tomātus sagriež šķēlītēs, lokus sīki sasmalcina... visas salātu sastāvdaļas samaisa... ― one cooks the seasoned beans, one cuts the cucumbers into slivers, the tomatoes into slices, the chive into small pieces... all (these) salad ingredients are (then) mixed...

   aukstajā galdā dažādus salātus pasniedz kā papildinājumu gaļas un zivju ēdieniem ― in a cold table (= table with cold foods), some kinds of salads are served as complement to meat and fish dishes

The singular forms are only found when referring to the lettuce plant. The vegetable, as well as the salad, are almost invariably referred to with plural forms.