turnip

American  

[tur-nip] / ˈtɜr nɪp /

noun

• turnips
  plural

1. the thick, fleshy, edible root of either of two plants of the mustard family, the white-fleshed Brassica rapa rapifera or the yellow-fleshed rutabaga.

2. the plant itself.

3. the root of this plant used as a vegetable.

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turnip British  

/ ˈtɜːnɪp /

noun

1. a widely cultivated plant, Brassica rapa , of the Mediterranean region, with a large yellow or white edible root: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)

2. the root of this plant, which is eaten as a vegetable

3. any of several similar or related plants

4. another name for kohlrabi

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• turniplike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• turnips
  plural

Etymology

Origin of turnip

1525–35; earlier turnep(e) , equivalent to turn (with reference to its neatly rounded shape) + nepe neep

Compare meaning

How does turnip compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• rutabaga vs. turnip

Explanation

A turnip is a slightly bitter-flavored root vegetable. In Japan, it's common to pickle turnips and serve them as a cold snack or in a stir fry with other vegetables. You can recognize a turnip by its roundish shape and its white color, often accented at the top by pink or purple. Turnips also have green leaves that can be cooked and eaten. Some people also call rutabagas turnips, although these are actually a cross between a turnip and cabbage. Experts think the turn part of turnip stems from the idea that it looks like it's been turned, or rotated and shaped, on a lathe.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

turnip turnips

About all he can tell us of daily life in the 16th century is that Muscovites loved turnip pie, had few chairs, and that glass was not to be had.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

Boonthom had noticed her packing the harvested fruit — a turnip variety Yo describes as a “cross between a potato and an apple” — and had been love-struck.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2023

While most dark green vegetables — especially collard greens, broccoli raab, turnip greens and kale — provide calcium, spinach and beet greens contain oxalic acid, which makes their calcium unavailable to us.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 18, 2023

Radish soup with turnip "chips"? The world is your oyster ... literally?

From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2022

I felt like a sprite or a hungry leprechaun, turning over leaves in search of a treat, looking under weeds for a pot of gold, or perhaps a turnip.

From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson

In the 19th century, children gobbled chiles and mutton and turnips and jellied pig’s brain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

Roots and vegetables are natural fits: turnips, parsnips, cauliflower, mushrooms, roasted eggplant, fennel, sunchokes.

From Salon ● May 16, 2025

Yes, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer tucked in a bib and tucked into the haggis, accompanied by neeps and tatties, cute Scottish names for turnips and potatoes, mashed and buttered.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025

When she bought other, lesser-known vegetables at the supermarket — the book also features burdock, celery root, escarole, turnips and 18 more — the checkers wouldn’t know the codes.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 9, 2024

"Why, I will give you this golden guinea," she said, "enough to buy a coopful of hens and a hundred bushels of turnips."

From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman