Figged

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To insert or garnish with strips of a certain type of root, commonly used to enhance flavor or aroma; to decorate or adorn with a specific spicy root ; to add a pungent, aromatic root as a culinary or sensory effect
2. To stuff or insert pieces of a strong-smelling root into food for taste enhancement; to embellish or ornament using a particular root with spicy qualities; to introduce an aromatic root known for its distinctive flavor into a dish or presentation
3. The act of placing segments of a specialized flavorful root into or onto something, typically food; the process of decorating with pungent root material; the method of infusing a dish or item with a spicy root essence

Etymology: The verb here is not directly from the fruit. "Figged" is the past form of "fig," which the source traces to a variant of "fike," a Middle English verb. Yet the two words are linked: the Middle English spelling of the fruit was also "fyke," from Old English "fīc," the same ancestor as "fike." The fruit itself has a longer journey. Its Latin name, "ficus," probably came from a pre-Indo-European language, perhaps Phoenician. It passed through Vulgar Latin "fīca" and Old Occitan "figa," then reached English through Old French "figue" and Anglo-Norman "figue." Italian "fico" is its doublet, a form that entered the language by a separate route from the same Latin source.