Radicchio
/rəˈdɪkioʊ/noun
A red-leaved variety of chicory commonly eaten as a salad vegetable.
Did you know?Radicchio belongs to the chicory family, whose older Latin name was built from radix, meaning “root,” even though modern radicchio is mainly harvested for its leaves.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wréh₂ds
“Root; the underground part of a plant”
Classical Latin
Latin
rādīx
“Root, especially a plant root; also a source or origin”
Late Latin
Latin
rādīcula
“Little root; diminutive of rādīx”
Medieval to Early Modern Italian
Italian
radicchio
“A leafy chicory or related plant, from the diminutive form of “root””
19th Century
English
radicchio
“A borrowed Italian name for cultivated chicory, especially red-leaved varieties”
Modern English
English
radicchio
“A red or purple-leaved chicory used as a vegetable”