turnip

/ˈtʌrnəp/

/ˈtʌnɪp/

Other forms: turnips

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.

Definitions of turnip

1. noun

   widely cultivated plant having a large fleshy edible white or yellow root
   synonyms: Brassica rapa, white turnip

   type of:

   turnip plant

   any of several widely cultivated plants having edible roots
2. noun

   root of any of several members of the mustard family
   types:

   white turnip

   white root of a turnip plant

   rutabaga, swede, swedish turnip, yellow turnip

   the large yellow root of a rutabaga plant used as food

   type of:

   root vegetable

   any of various fleshy edible underground roots or tubers

   cruciferous vegetable

   a vegetable of the mustard family: especially mustard greens; various cabbages; broccoli; cauliflower; brussels sprouts