rampion

[ram-pee-uh n]

noun

a European bellflower, Campanula rapunculus, having an edible white tuberous root used in Europe for salad.
any related plant of the genus Phyteuma, having heads or spikes of blue flowers.

Origin of rampion

1565–75; probably alteration of Middle French raiponce < Italian raponzo, derivative of rapa turnip (< Latin rāpa; see rape²)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for rampion

Historical Examples of rampion

Rampion, phyteuma spicata, was formerly used in like manner.
The Mosaic History of the Creation of the World
Thomas Wood
And in the kitchen-garden at Castlewood no rampion would she allow while she lived.
Erema
R. D. Blackmore
Rather than lose my wife I will get some rampion, cost what it will.
Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm
Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm
The Rampion is a biennial plant, indigenous to the south of Europe, and occasionally found in a wild state in England.
The Field and Garden Vegetables of America
Fearing Burr
Hence, in ancient dream-books, a dream in which the Rampion is seen is interpreted as a sure sign of an impending quarrel.
Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics
Richard Folkard

British Dictionary definitions for rampion

rampion

noun

a campanulaceous plant, Campanula rapunculus, native to Europe and Asia, that has clusters of bluish flowers and an edible white tuberous root used in salads
any of several plants of the related genus Phyteuma that are native to Europe and Asia and have heads of blue flowers

Word Origin for rampion

C16: probably from Old French raiponce, from Old Italian raponzo, from rapa turnip, from Latin rāpum turnip; see rape ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012