Water lettuce \Wa"ter let"tuce\ (Bot.) A plant ({Pistia stratiotes}) which floats on tropical waters, and forms a rosette of spongy, wedge-shaped leaves. --J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants).
water lettuce n : pantropical floating plant forming a rosette of wedge-shaped leaves; a widespread weed in rivers and lakes [syn: {pistia}, {water cabbage}, {Pistia stratiotes}, {Pistia stratoites}]