parsnip
pronunciation
How to pronounce parsnip in British English:
UK [ˈpɑ:snɪp]
How to pronounce parsnip in American English:
US [ˈpɑrsnɪp]
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- Noun:
- the whitish root of cultivated parsnip
- a strong-scented plant cultivated for its edible root
- whitish edible root; eaten cooked
Word Origin
- parsnip
- parsnip: [14] The Romans called the ‘parsnip’ (and the ‘carrot’) pastināca. This was a derivative of pastinum, a term for a sort of small two-pronged fork, inspired no doubt by the forked appearance of some examples of the vegetable. In Old French the word had become pasnaie, but when English took it over, it altered the final syllable to -nep, under the influence of Middle English nep ‘turnip’ (source of the second syllable of turnip).
- parsnip (n.)
- 16c., parsnepe, corruption (by influence of Middle English nepe "turnip;" see neep) of Middle English passenep (late 14c.), from Old French pasnaise "parsnip," also "male member" (Modern French panais), from Latin pastinaca "parsnip, carrot," from pastinum "two-pronged fork" (related to pastinare "to dig up the ground"); so called from the shape of the root. The parsnip was considered a kind of turnip.
Example
- 1. Seedlings of parsnip , carrot , beetroot and radish must fight off slugs , and weeds also need checking , hoeing them as they grow , to leave the pests nowhere to hide .