turnip
[tur-nip]
- 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.
- the plant itself.
- the root of this plant used as a vegetable.
Show More
Origin of turnip
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for turnip
Contemporary Examples
On dessert menu at one new hotel, a “Mondae”—frozen lard covered in borsch with a turnip on top.
Down there in the turnip greene and the tears, hope remained alive.
Historical Examples
The meat is fried, with only the exception of when accompanied by "turnip greens."
If you wish to have them very mild, put in a turnip with them at the first boiling.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
To express the cubic content of a turnip, you must be all round it at once.
Alarms and DiscursionsG. K. Chesterton
The only way to get all round a turnip at once is to eat the turnip.
Alarms and DiscursionsG. K. Chesterton
To call a man a turnip may be playful, but is seldom respectful.
Alarms and DiscursionsG. K. Chesterton
turnip
- a widely cultivated plant, Brassica rapa, of the Mediterranean region, with a large yellow or white edible root: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)
- the root of this plant, which is eaten as a vegetable
- any of several similar or related plants
- another name for kohlrabi
Show More
Also called (for senses 1, 2): navew
Word Origin
C16: from earlier turnepe, perhaps from turn (indicating its rounded shape) + nepe, from Latin nāpus turnip; see neep
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 turnip
n.
1530s, turnepe, probably from turn (from its shape, as though turned on a lathe) + Middle English nepe "turnip," from Old English næp, from Latin napus "turnip." The modern form of the word emerged late 18c.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper