root celery

5.1

A vegetable with a large, round root that people eat instead of potatoes

noun
/ˈrut ˈsɛləri/

: apio nabo

The chef peeled and diced root celery for the vegetable stew.

Examples

You can mash root celery as a healthy alternative to potatoes.
Have you ever tried root celery in a salad?
I like to use root celery in soups because it adds a delicious, earthy flavor.
I bought some root celery at the farmer's market.
I like to use root celery in soups because it adds a delicious, earthy flavor.
The chef peeled and diced root celery for the vegetable stew.
You can mash root celery as a healthy alternative to potatoes.

Synonyms

root vegetable

vsroot celery

5 2.4

A vegetable that grows under the ground like a carrot or potato

is narrower and refers to a specific cultivated edible root rather than all such plants

celery root

vsroot celery

3 3.2

A large bumpy root vegetable with a mild celery taste used in cooking

means the same variety but is the other widely used name

celeriac

vsroot celery

1 8.0

A round bumpy root vegetable that tastes like celery and is eaten cooked or raw

is the same plant but called by an alternative common name

root crop

vsroot celery

Specialized

1 3.4

A plant with a large part under the ground that people eat, like a potato or carrot

is more specific, naming one particular cultivated edible root variety

turnip-rooted celery

vsroot celery

8.4

A vegetable like celery with a large round root eaten cooked or raw

is the general name for the same cultivated root form

knob celery

vsroot celery

7.1

A vegetable with a large round root used in cooking for soups and stews

is the usual term for that cultivated round root variety

Apium graveolens rapaceum

vsroot celery

Specialized

9.9

A vegetable with a large, round edible root that tastes like celery and is used in soups and stews

is the everyday name used instead of the scientific label

Surface Forms

root celery singular

root celeries plural

Morphology

root + celery

The meaning is directly compositional: 'root' (underground edible part) + 'celery' yields a variety of celery valued for its root, so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to celery grown for its root (celeriac). Although English often uses the form 'celery root', the semantic relation is transparent and cross-linguistically predictable, making the phrase understandable to B1 learners who know the constituents.

Etymology

Root celery is a name for a type of celery grown for its large, round, edible root rather than for its stalks. So the name means the part of the plant you eat, and this vegetable is also called 'celeriac'.