radish

Meaning

Noun

• A plant of the Brassicaceae family, Raphanus sativus or Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus, having an edible root.
• The root of this plant used as food. Some varieties are pungent and usually eaten raw in salads, etc., while others have a milder taste and are cooked.
• With a distinguishing word: some other plant of the Raphanus genus or Brassicaceae family.

Origin

• From Middle English radishe, redich, radiche, raddik, radike, redic, from Old English redic, rædic, from Vulgar Latin rādīce, the ablative singular of rādīx; later influenced by Anglo-Norman radich, radice, and Middle French radice (modern French radis), also from Latin. Cognate with Danish reddike, ræddike, Italian radice, Middle Dutch radic, Old High German ratih, retih (Middle High German retich, modern German Rettich, Rettig), Old Saxon redik (Middle Low German rēdik, reddik, rētik, and other forms), Old Swedish rädikia, rätikia, and other forms (modern Swedish rättika), Portuguese radiz.