Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “parsnip” come from?

Parsnip comes from Middle English passenep, from Old French pasnaie, from Latin pastinaca, a word of uncertain origin possibly related to Latin pastinum, a type of fork or dibble used in gardening.

parsnip (English): A biennial plant, "Pastinaca sativa", related to...

Definitions

  1. A biennial plant, "Pastinaca sativa", related to...

Ancestry of “parsnip”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishparsnepe—
2Middle Englishpassenep—
3Old Frenchpasnaie—
4Latinpastinacaparsnip; stingray
5LatinpastinumA kind of two-pronged dibble; The action of...

Words derived from “parsnip”

  • parsniplike
  • parsnipy
  • parsnippy
Every word from Latin pastinum →