Main Entry: ar·ti·choke

Pronunciation: \ˈär-tə-ˌchōk\

Function: noun

Etymology: Italian dial. articiocco, ultimately from Arabic al-khurshūf the artichoke

Date: 1530

1 : a tall Mediterranean composite herb (Cynara scolymus) resembling a thistle with coarse pinnately incised leaves; also : its edible immature flower head which is cooked as a vegetable
2 : jerusalem artichoke