Sium sisarum

9.9

A plant grown for its sweet edible root used as food

noun

Specialized

: Sium sisarum

Sium sisarum is valued in some cuisines for its sweet, starchy roots.

Examples

Historically, Sium sisarum was used as a food source in medieval Europe.
The gardener decided to grow Sium sisarum in the vegetable patch this year.
I planted Sium sisarum in my garden this spring.
Have you ever tasted Sium sisarum?
Sium sisarum is often used in soups and stews for its sweet flavor and texture.
In traditional dishes, Sium sisarum adds a unique sweetness that complements many recipes.
Many chefs appreciate Sium sisarum for its versatility in both savory and sweet dishes.

Synonyms

skirret

vsSium sisarum

Archaic

1 9.9

A plant with sweet white roots eaten as a vegetable

is the botanical name rather than the common cooking term

Surface Forms

Sium sisarum singular

Sium sisarums plural

Morphology

Sium + sisarum

This is a scientific Latin binomial rather than a compositional English phrase: knowing 'Sium' as a genus of marsh plants might only hint that it is a plant, but the second element 'sisarum' is opaque/unknown and the specific sense 'Asiatic herb cultivated for a sweet tuber (skirret)' cannot be derived. Botanical proper names do not follow ordinary English compositional rules and require specialist knowledge, so a B1 learner would not be able to infer the meaning from the parts.

Etymology

Sium sisarum, often called skirret, comes from old words meaning 'sugar root' because its edible root tastes sweet. So the name helps you remember it is a plant grown for a sweet, edible root.