turnip
Americannoun
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the thick, fleshy, edible root of either of two plants of the mustard family, the white-fleshed Brassica rapa rapifera or the yellow-fleshed rutabaga.
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the plant itself.
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the root of this plant used as a vegetable.
noun
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a widely cultivated plant, Brassica rapa , of the Mediterranean region, with a large yellow or white edible root: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)
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the root of this plant, which is eaten as a vegetable
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any of several similar or related plants
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another name for kohlrabi
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of turnip
1525–35; earlier turnep(e) , equivalent to turn (with reference to its neatly rounded shape) + nepe neep
Compare meaning
How does turnip compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A turnip is a slightly bitter-flavored root vegetable. In Japan, it's common to pickle turnips and serve them as a cold snack or in a stir fry with other vegetables. You can recognize a turnip by its roundish shape and its white color, often accented at the top by pink or purple. Turnips also have green leaves that can be cooked and eaten. Some people also call rutabagas turnips, although these are actually a cross between a turnip and cabbage. Experts think the turn part of turnip stems from the idea that it looks like it's been turned, or rotated and shaped, on a lathe.
Vocabulary lists containing turnip
"The Secret Water"
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The Boxcar Children
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cleaning houses, working in a candle shop, babysitting, unloading trucks in a food terminal and finally the kitchen of local health food grocery the Turnip Truck, music was always in the background.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
Turnip Prize organiser Trevor Prideaux said he was "delighted with the lack of effort taken to create this work", which was one of 69 entries.
From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025
Some people think Swamp Soup and Turnip Green Soup are the same, but I know them to be different — similar for sure, but each distinct in both flavor and appearance.
From Salon • Feb. 1, 2024
The Turnip Prize is a spoof on the renowned Turner Prize, and awards comedically low-effort and cheap art.
From BBC • Nov. 27, 2023
He watched Turnip and Little Walder struggle for the stick until Turnip lost his footing and went in with a huge splash, arms waving.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
