ENGLISH
REFERENCE

artichoke

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈɑɹtəˌtʃoʊk// UK //ˈɑːtɪtʃˌəʊk// ar·ti·choke

n. a large, thorny vegetable that looks like a flower. You eat the soft part inside after cooking it, and the leaves have a fuzzy center that tastes good.

n. a large, edible thistle with a fleshy, edible head. The plant is cultivated for its immature flower buds, which are typically boiled or steamed before consumption.


SIMPLE

We grilled an artichoke and ate it with lemon juice.

CONTEXTUAL

The chef prepared a whole artichoke by boiling it until the leaves were tender enough to pull off.

COMPLEX

While often associated with Mediterranean cuisine, the artichoke has a long history in the Americas, where it was cultivated by indigenous peoples long before European contact.

Origin

Etymology tree Arabic اَلـ (al-) Andalusian Arabic الـ (al-) Akkadian 𒅈𒋢𒌒𒁍 (arsuppu)bor.? Middle Persian xār (hʾl) Middle Persian čōp (cwp) Middle Persian *xār-čōpbor.? Arabic خُرْشُوف (ḵuršūf) Andalusian Arabic خَرْشُوف (ḵaršúf) Andalusian Arabic الْخَرْشُوف (al-ḵaršúf)bor. Old Spanish alcarchofabor. Occitan artichautbor.? Lombard articiochbor. English artichoke From Lombard articioch (cf. articiocco), from Occitan artichaut, from Old Spanish alcarchofa, from Andalusian Arabic الْخَرْشُوف (al-ḵaršúf), from Arabic الْخُرْشُوف (al-ḵuršūf), definite form of خُرْشُوف (ḵuršūf).

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