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parsnip definition

pars·nip (pärs′nip′)

noun

  1. a biennial plant (Pastinaca sativa) of the umbel family, with yellow flowers and a long, thick, sweet, white root used as a vegetable
  2. its root

Etymology: ME pasnepe, altered (infl. by nepe, turnip) < OFr pasnaie < L pastinaca < pastinare, to dig up < pastinum, two-forked dibble

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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