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rutabaga

American  
[roo-tuh-bey-guh, roo-tuh-bey-] / ˌru təˈbeɪ gə, ˈru təˌbeɪ- /

noun

rutabagas plural
  1. a brassicaceous plant, Brassica napobrassica, having a yellow- or white-fleshed, edible tuber.

  2. the edible tuber, a variety of turnip.


rutabaga British  
/ ˌruːtəˈbeɪɡə /

noun

  1. a Eurasian plant, Brassica napus (or B. napobrassica ), cultivated for its bulbous edible root, which is used as a vegetable and as cattle fodder: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)

  2. the root of this plant

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of rutabaga

1790–1800, < Swedish (dial.) rotabagge

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Vocabulary lists containing rutabaga

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.

See Examples For:

The scientists gave the elephants small cubes of a vegetable called a rutabaga.

From NewsForKids.net Jun. 20, 2024

I'm partial to celeriac, rutabaga, turnip, radish and the like.

From Salon May 14, 2023

“I like doing some season extension with row covers, and I’ve prepared my garden this year for fall harvests such as carrots, rutabaga, turnips and brassicas such as purple sprouting broccoli well into the winter.”

From Seattle Times Sep. 8, 2021

Veggie by veggie, chef and former farmer Abra Berens explains how to buy, store and use everything from ramps to rutabaga, and then she provides a couple of base recipes for each using distinct preparations.

From Washington Post Dec. 9, 2019

I could see that Mrs. Odom’s rutabaga trick with Howard’s brother Cotton wasn’t working too good because there were lots of drawings with colored markers along the bottom of the walls.

From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor

At the other end of the spectrum are the cool-season vegetables: asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, all the cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, Swiss chard, kale, leeks, lettuces, onions, parsnips, peas, radishes, spinach, rutabagas, and turnips.

From Salon Apr. 27, 2022

But otherwise it’s a bit apples to rutabagas.

From Slate Aug. 15, 2019

In the back of the pantry, other volunteers unloaded 50-pound bags of rutabagas and cabbage.

From Seattle Times Apr. 30, 2018

Suzanne serves her mix of carrots, turnips, parsnips and rutabagas with Greek yogurt seasoned with kaffir lime juice and zest, and mint chutney.

From New York Times Jan. 13, 2014

Most of the meals Thula managed to put before her children consisted of thin stews made from parsnips, rutabagas, potatoes, and chipped beef.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

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