Cardoon
/kɑːrˈduːn/noun
A thistle-like Mediterranean plant cultivated for its edible stalks and leaf ribs.
Did you know?Cardoon’s name ultimately traveled through Arabic into European languages, showing how medieval trade routes moved not just goods but the words for plants themselves.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
Latin
carduus
“thistle”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
al-kharshūf
“artichoke (a related cultivated thistle)”
Old French
Old French
cardon
“cardoon; thistle-like cultivated plant”
16th Century
English
cardoon
“the cultivated thistle-like plant”