: a Eurasian biennial herb (Pastinaca sativa) of the carrot family with large pinnate leaves and yellow flowers that is cultivated for its long tapered whitish root which is cooked as a vegetable
also: the root
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The word parsnip was borrowed into Middle English in the 14th century as a modification of the Old French word pasnaie, itself derived from the Latin noun pastinaca, meaning "parsnip" or "carrot." The scientific name for the parsnip, "Pastinaca sativa," still reflects this history. "Pastinaca," in turn, traces back to "pastinum," a Latin word for a small gardening tool used to make holes in the ground for the insertion of plants, seeds, or bulbs. "Parsnip" may also remind you of the name of another edible root, "turnip," and there's a possible explanation for the resemblance. The Middle English spelling of "parsnip" ("passenep") may have been influenced by "nepe," the old form of "turnip."
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Higher-carb vegetables: Carrots, beets, turnips, and parsnips are nutrient-dense but contain more natural sugars and starch.—Jamie Johnson, Verywell Health, 6 Jan. 2025 This has also contributed to an increase in quality and number of parsnips and reduced waste, with a 16% higher yield of grade one vegetables compared to Huntapac’s other parsnip fields.—Mark Faithfull, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024 How do poison hemlock and wild parsnip harm humans?—Mariyam Muhammad, The Enquirer, 30 May 2024 Add parsnips and potatoes; boil until tender, about 20 minutes.—Cathy Thomas, Orange County Register, 11 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for parsnip
Word History
Etymology
Middle English pasnepe, pastenepe, persnepe, borrowed (with assimilation of the final syllable to nepe "turnip") from Old French pasnaie, going back to Latin pastināca "carrot, turnip," probably from pastinum "two-pronged implement for planting seeds" (of uncertain origin) + -āca, suffix of plant names — more at neep
Note:
Forms with -r-, marginally attested before ca. 1500, are perhaps by hypercorrection, since r is sometimes lost before tautosyllabic s in popular speech (see note at hoss). — Ernout and Meillet (Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française) compare pastinum with the verb pangere "to insert firmly, set in the ground" and related derivatives (see pact), though the formal path is unclear.
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