artichoke

American  

[ahr-ti-chohk] / ˈɑr tɪˌtʃoʊk /

noun

• artichokes
  plural

1. a tall, thistlelike composite plant, Cynara scolymus, native to the Mediterranean region, of which the numerous scalelike bracts and receptacle of the immature flower head are eaten as a vegetable.

2. the large, rounded, closed flower head itself.

3. Jerusalem artichoke.

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artichoke British  

/ ˈɑːtɪˌtʃəʊk /

noun

1. Also called: globe artichoke. a thistle-like Eurasian plant, Cynara scolymus, cultivated for its large edible flower head containing many fleshy scalelike bracts: family Asteraceae (composites)

2. the unopened flower head of this plant, which can be cooked and eaten

3. See Jerusalem artichoke

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• artichokes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of artichoke

1525–35; < Upper Italian articiocco, variant (by dissimilation) of arciciocco, arcicioffo < *arcarcioffo < Old Spanish alcarchofa < dialectal Arabic al-kharshūf the artichoke

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Explanation

An artichoke is an edible plant with many leaves and a tender, delicious heart. Some people like to dip their artichoke leaves in melted butter. The artichoke you can buy in the supermarket is called a "globe artichoke," and it's specially cultivated to be tasty. Artichokes are actually a kind of thistle, or a prickly, flowering plant. The part of an artichoke that's edible has to be picked before it blooms, or it becomes too tough to eat. The word comes from the Northern Italian articiocco, with its Arabic root word, al-hursufa.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

artichoke artichokes

I’ve seen people eat chicken chips with guacamole, Caesar salad, spinach artichoke dip, really anything you can imagine or are in the mood for.

From Salon ● May 22, 2026

Almost all the plants in their garden are California natives, except for the plants producing food, such as their giant artichoke bush, or flowers for bouquets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2025

My most recent one is a tortino di carciofi — a spiral omelet with an artichoke in the middle that I eat at Trattoria Sostanza in Florence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2024

"We're now in a situation where we have a full-on drought," says Xavier Oliva, an artichoke farmer who owns land just outside the city.

From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2024

I could feel their pity as they scooped artichoke dip with chips intended for my imaginary friends, but they needed pity more than I did: I wasn’t disappointed.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

I especially love how it mingles with non-meat dishes, like root vegetables or beet salads, and have put it to the test with notoriously hard-to-pair ingredients like Brussels sprouts and artichokes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

Italian deli with its vinegary pasta salads tangled with artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes?

From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2026

Italian restaurant-goers were advised to ditch steak and potatoes to try “authentic” Italian food like artichokes, and the “peculiarly seasoned tomato sauce.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2025

Additionally, it can be found in beans, artichokes, and sweet potatoes, and in fermented foods such as sourdough bread, as well as miso, kimchi, and sauerkraut.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2024

You must try some artichokes while you are here, Signor Milo.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

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