Indian turnip
- noun
- /ˈɪndiən ˈtɜrnɪp/
- US
:
nabo indio
- The berries of the Indian turnip are a bright scarlet in late summer.
Examples
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The Indian turnip is often found in moist woodlands.
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We came across a patch of Indian turnip while hiking through the forest.
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Gardeners appreciate the unique appearance of Indian turnip in shady woodlands.
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Have you ever seen an Indian turnip in the wild?
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The bright scarlet berries of the Indian turnip attract many birds in the forest.
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In early spring, the Indian turnip begins to sprout its distinctive hood-like spathe.
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While exploring the damp woods, we noticed the unique shape of the Indian turnip among the ferns.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A woodland plant with a hooded green or purple flower and red berries
A woodland plant from eastern North America with a central hooded flower and red berries
Surface Forms
Morphology
Indian + turnip
This is a straightforward adjective + noun compound: 'Indian' qualifies 'turnip', so a learner who knows both words will infer it denotes a type of turnip (i.e., a plant) associated with Indians/Indigenous Americans. While the specific botanical identity (Arisaema triphyllum) and that it is not a culinary turnip are facts a learner may not predict, the general meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Indian turnip may come from people noticing that Native people used the plant's round, turnip-like root, so the name joins Indian, for the Native people, and turnip, for the round root. So today, Indian turnip names the woodland plant known for its knobbly root and bright red berries.