artichoke

Etymology

From Lombard articiòc, alteration of arciciòf (possibly influenced by ciocco (“stump”)), from Old Spanish alcarchofa, from Arabic الْخُرْشُوف‎ (al-ḵuršūf, “artichoke”).

Pronunciation

• (rhotic) IPA^(key): /ˈɑɹ.tɪˌtʃəʊk/
• (non-rhotic) IPA^(key): /ˈɑː.tɪˌtʃəʊk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

artichoke (plural artichokes)

1. A plant related to the thistle with enlarged flower heads eaten as a vegetable while immature.
2. A dull green colour, like that of an artichoke.

   artichoke colour:  

References

• “Artichoke” in Michael Quinion, Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, 2004, →ISBN.