Parsnip
/ˈpɑːrs.nɪp/noun
A pale, sweet root vegetable related to the carrot.
Did you know?The second half of *parsnip* was reshaped by folk etymology to look like *nip*, but the word actually descends from Latin *pastinaca*, the same ancient name used for several root vegetables.
Etymological Timeline
Latin era
Latin
pastinaca
“A root vegetable, especially a parsnip or similar edible root.”
Late Latin
Latin
pastināca
“A cultivated root plant with an edible fleshy root.”
Old French
Old French
pasnaie / pasnaque
“A parsnip; the word was reshaped in medieval French forms.”
Middle English
English
parsnip
“A parsnip; the modern form emerges by folk association with *pars* and *nip*.”
Modern English
English
parsnip
“The pale edible root of *Pastinaca sativa*.”
Explore more surprising origins