Rapeseed
/ˈreɪp.siːd/noun
The small oil-rich seed of a mustard-family plant, especially Brassica napus, used to produce vegetable oil.
Did you know?The plant name comes from Latin rapum or rapa, meaning “turnip,” while the modern oil is often called canola when bred for low levels of certain unwanted compounds.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wréh₂d-
“A proposed root associated with rooted or turnip-like plants”
Classical Latin
Latin
rapum
“Turnip; a root vegetable”
Classical Latin
Latin
rapa
“Turnip, especially as a plant name”
Old French
Old French
rape
“Turnip or related brassica plant”
15th–16th Century
English
rape
“A brassica plant cultivated for its seed and oil”
17th Century
English
rapeseed
“The seed of the rape plant”
Modern English
English
rapeseed
“Oil-bearing seed of Brassica napus and related crops”