salsify

[sal-suh-fee]

noun, plural sal·si·fies.

a purple-flowered, composite plant, Tragopogon porrifolius, whose root has an oyster-like flavor and is used as a culinary vegetable.

Origin of salsify

1690–1700; < French salsifis, variant of sassefy, sassef(r)ique < Italian sassef(r)ica) < ?

Also called oyster plant, vegetable oyster.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for salsify

Historical Examples of salsify

Salsify must not be left exposed to the air, or it will turn blackish.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
"Thank you," said Amy taking the bunch of keys from Mrs. Salsify's hand.
Eventide
Effie Afton
"Well, the girl ought to pay for the waste she has occasioned," said Mr. Salsify, gruffly.
Eventide
Effie Afton
Thus it appears Mr. Salsify's high hopes are at length realized.
Eventide
Effie Afton
Drain off the water and cut the salsify in pieces half an inch long.
Housekeeping in Old Virginia
Marion Cabell Tyree

British Dictionary definitions for salsify

salsify

noun plural -fies

Also called: oyster plant, vegetable oyster a Mediterranean plant, Tragopogon porrifolius, having grasslike leaves, purple flower heads, and a long white edible taproot: family Asteraceae (composites)
the root of this plant, which tastes of oysters and is eaten as a vegetable

Word Origin for salsify

C17: from French salsifis, from Italian sassefrica, from Late Latin saxifrica, from Latin saxum rock + fricāre to rub

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

Word Origin and History for salsify

biennial plant, 1710, from French salsifis, earlier sercifi, sassify (16c.), probably from Italian erba salsifica, from Old Italian salsifica, of uncertain origin, perhaps from Latin sal "salt" + fricare "to rub."