beet

American  

[beet] / bit /

noun

1. any of various biennial plants belonging to the genus Beta, of the amaranth family, especially B. vulgaris, having a fleshy red or white root.

2. the edible root of such a plant.

3. the leaves of such a plant, served as a salad or cooked vegetable.

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beet British  

/ biːt /

noun

1. any chenopodiaceous plant of the genus Beta , esp the Eurasian species B. vulgaris , widely cultivated in such varieties as the sugar beet, mangelwurzel, beetroot, and spinach beet See also chard

2. the leaves of any of several varieties of this plant, which are cooked and eaten as a vegetable

3. the US name for beetroot

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Other Word Forms

• beetlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of beet

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bete, Old English bēte, from Latin bēta

Example Sentences

The laughter cut off immediately, and I felt an embarrassed flush creep up my neck and into my ears, turning them beet red.

From Literature

There were beets and potatoes sprinkled with herbs and cheese, fresh bread, and milk.

From Literature

Benali added that sugar beet, citrus and vegetable farms had also been devastated by flooding.

From Barron's

No. The real worst was when beets touched something.

From Literature

Food companies started replacing it with cane or beet sugar more than a decade ago.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• chard