Rampion

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɹæmpɪən/

Definitions

1. A wild plant similar to garlic, with broad leaves and a strong onion-like flavor, often found in woodlands and eaten cooked or raw
2. A herbaceous wildflower known for its edible leaves that have a mild garlic taste, used in salads or cooking
3. A species of wild garlic with thick green leaves and a pungent aroma, valued as a flavorful edible wild vegetable

Etymology: Rampion is a plant whose English name came by way of a long detour through Latin and Italian, and its ancestor was a humble root vegetable. The Latin "rapum" meant "turnip", and "rapunculus" was its diminutive, a little turnip. Medieval Latin then formed "rapuntium" from it, and the word eventually reached English as the name for a plant that is valued for its leaves and roots rather than for anything turnip-like about it. The meaning shifted from the vegetable to a different plant along the way. The name stayed attached to edible roots and salad greens, and in English it came to denote the wild garlic-like plant that the word names today, a plant unrelated to the turnip itself. The connection survives only in the name's ancestry.

Synonyms: bellflower, plant