Standard Lemma guide

parsnip

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈpɑɹ.snɪp/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpɑː.snɪp/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A biennial plant, Pastinaca sativa, related to the carrot.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The root of the parsnip, when used as a vegetable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Acronym of politics, alcohol, religion, sex, narcotics, isms, pork (“a set of topics that may be controversial in a classroom setting”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

whitish edible root; eaten cooked

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: root vegetable

5

noun

Meaning 5

a strong-scented plant cultivated for its edible root

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Pastinaca sativa

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: herb, herbaceous plant

Narrower terms: cultivated parsnip, wild parsnip, madnep

6

noun

Meaning 6

the whitish root of cultivated parsnip

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: root

History

Etymology

From 16th-century parsnepe, from Middle English passenep, a modification of Old French pasnaie by influence of Middle English nepe (“turnip”), from Latin pastināca (“parsnip, carrot”), from pastinum (“two-pronged fork”) as in pastināre (“to dig up the ground”).

Across languages

Translations

130 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: witwortel — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Arabic: جَزَر أَبْيَض (jazar ʔabyaḍ) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Armenian: վայրի գազար (vayri gazar) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Azerbaijani: cırhavuc — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Azerbaijani: xımı — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Belarusian: пастарна́к (pastarnák) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Bengali: পার্সনিপ (parśonip) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Bulgarian: пащърна́к (paštǎrnák) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Catalan: xirivia — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Chinese Cantonese: 歐防風 /欧防风 (au1 fong4 fung1) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Chinese Mandarin: 歐防風 /欧防风 (ōufángfēng) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Czech: pastinák — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Czech: pastinák setý — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Danish: pastinak — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Dutch: pastinaak — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Esperanto: pastinako — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Estonian: pastinaak — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Faroese: pastinakk — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Finnish: palsternakka — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • French: panais — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Galician: charouvía — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Galician: pastinaca — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Georgian: ძირთეთრა (ʒirtetra) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • German: Pastinake — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Greek: παστινάκη (pastináki) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Hebrew: גזר לבן (gézer lavan) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Hindi: गर्जरिका (garjarikā) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Hungarian: pasztinák — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Icelandic: pastinakka — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Icelandic: nípa — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Ido: pastinako — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Irish: meacan bán — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Italian: pastinaca — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Japanese: パースニップ (pāsunippu) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Kazakh: ботташық (bottaşyq) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Korean: 파스닙 (paseunip) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Latin: pastināca — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Latvian: pastinaks — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Lithuanian: pastarnokas — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Macedonian: па́шканат (páškanat) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Māori: pānipi — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Norman: pânnais — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Norman: pônais — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Norwegian Bokmål: pastinakk — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: pastinakk — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Persian: شقاقل (šaqâqol) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Polish: pasternak — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Portuguese: pastinaca — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Portuguese: pastinaga — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Portuguese: cherovia — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Portuguese: cenoura-brava — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Romanian: păstârnac — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Russian: пастерна́к (pastɛrnák) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Serbo-Croatian: пашка̀на̄т — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Serbo-Croatian: па̀стрна̄к — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Serbo-Croatian: paškànāt — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Serbo-Croatian: pàstrnāk — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Slovak: paštrnák — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Slovene: pastinak — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Slovene: rebrinec — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Spanish: chirivía — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Swedish: palsternacka — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Tagalog: pastinaka — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Telugu: తినదగిన ఒకజాతి గడ్డ (tinadagina okajāti gaḍḍa) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Turkish: yabani havuç — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Turkish: karakavza — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Ukrainian: пастерна́к (pasternák) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Uzbek: pasternak — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Welsh: panasen — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Yiddish: פּאַסטערנאַק (pasternak) — the plant Pastinaca sativa
  • Afrikaans: witwortel — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Arabic: جَزَر أَبْيَض (jazar ʔabyaḍ) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Armenian: վայրի գազար (vayri gazar) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Azerbaijani: cırhavuc — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Azerbaijani: xımı — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Belarusian: пастарна́к (pastarnák) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Bulgarian: пащърна́к (paštǎrnák) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Catalan: xirivia — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Chinese Mandarin: 歐防風 /欧防风 (ōufángfēng) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Czech: pastinák — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Dutch: pastinaak — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Esperanto: pastinako — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Finnish: palsternakka — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • French: panais — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Galician: charouvía — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • German: Pastinake — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Greek: παστινάκι (pastináki) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Ancient Greek: σίσαρον (sísaron) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Ancient Greek: ἐλαφόβοσκον (elaphóboskon) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Hebrew: גזר לבן (gézer lavan) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Hungarian: pasztinák — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Hungarian: paszternák — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Icelandic: pastinakka — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Icelandic: nípa — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Ido: pastinako — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Irish: meacan bán — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Italian: pastinaca — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Japanese: パースニップ (pāsunippu) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Korean: 파스닙 (paseunip) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Latin: pastināca — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Macedonian: па́шканат (páškanat) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Māori: pānipi — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Māori: uhitea — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Māori: pāhinipi — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Norman: pônais — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Norwegian: pastinakk — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Persian: زردک (zardak) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Persian: شقاقل (šaqâqol) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Plautdietsch: Postanak — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Polish: pasternak — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Portuguese: pastinaca — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Portuguese: pastinaga — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Portuguese: cherovia — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Portuguese: cenoura-brava — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Romanian: păstârnac — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Russian: пастерна́к (pastɛrnák) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Scottish Gaelic: curran geal — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Serbo-Croatian: пашка̀на̄т — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Serbo-Croatian: па̀стрна̄к — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Serbo-Croatian: paškànāt — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Serbo-Croatian: pàstrnāk — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Slovak: paštrnák — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Slovene: pastinak — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Spanish: chirivía — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Swedish: palsternacka — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Turkish: yabani havuç — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Turkish: karakavza — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Ukrainian: пастерна́к (pasternák) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Welsh: panasen — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
  • Yiddish: פּאַסטערנאַק (pasternak) — the edible root of Pastinaca sativa
Real reading context

parsnip in complete knowledge articles