a purple-flowered plant (Tragopogon porrifolius) of the composite family, with long, white, edible, fleshy roots having an oysterlike flavor; oyster plant
Origin of salsify
French salsifis from Italian sassefrica from uncertain or unknown; perhapssalsify
sal·si·fyWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"salsify." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/salsify>.
APA Style
salsify. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/salsify
salsify
noun
pl. sal·si·fies- A European plant (Tragopogon porrifolius) in the composite family, having grasslike leaves, purple flower heads, and an edible taproot.
- The root of this plant, eaten as a vegetable. Also called In both senses also called oyster plant . Also called vegetable oyster .
Origin of salsify
French salsifis from obsolete Italian salsefica variant ( influenced by Italian salsa sauce ) ( or salso salted, perhaps in reference to the oysterlike flavor of its cooked roots ) of sassefrica from Old Italian akin to Medieval Latin saxifraga (media) salsify perhaps Latin saxifraga maidenhair fern (for unknown reasons, since salsify does not resemble maidenhair fern) ; see saxifrage . media feminine of medium middling, ordinaryTHE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"salsify." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/salsify>.
APA Style
salsify. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/salsify
Noun
(usually uncountable, plural salsifies)
- (countable, uncountable) Any of several flowering plants, of the genus Tragopogon, most of which have purple flowers.
- (uncountable) The edible root of these plants.
Origin
French salsifis.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"salsify." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/salsify>.
APA Style
salsify. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/salsify
