Hypertext Webster Gateway: "artichoke"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Artichoke \Ar"ti*choke\, n. [It. articiocco, perh. corrupted fr.
the same word as carciofo; cf. older spellings archiciocco,
archicioffo, carciocco, and Sp. alcachofa, Pg. alcachofra;
prob. fr. Ar. al-harshaf, al-kharsh[=u]f.] (Bot.)
1. The {Cynara scolymus}, a plant somewhat resembling a
thistle, with a dilated, imbricated, and prickly
involucre. The head (to which the name is also applied) is
composed of numerous oval scales, inclosing the florets,
sitting on a broad receptacle, which, with the fleshy base
of the scales, is much esteemed as an article of food.
2. See {Jerusalem artichoke}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
artichoke
n 1: Mediterranean thistlelike plant widely cultivated for its
large edible flower head [syn: {globe artichoke}, {artichoke
plant}, {Cynara scolymus}]
2: a thistle-like flower head with edible fleshy leaves and
heart [syn: {globe artichoke}]
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