Chard
/tʃɑːrd/noun
A leafy variety of beet grown for its edible leaves and stalks.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Latin *carduus* (“thistle”), and the plant’s name passed through Romance languages before English settled on the leafy vegetable we know today.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
carduus
“thistle”
Late Latin / Romance
Romance
carda / carde
“a thistle-like plant name, later applied to leafy vegetables”
Old French
Old French
carde
“chard, beet-leaf”
Middle English
English
chard
“the leafy stalks and leaves of a beet”
Modern English
English
chard
“a beet variety grown for its edible leaves and stems”