Main Entry:

beet

Pronunciation:

\ˈbēt\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English bete, from Old English bēte, from Latin beta

Date:

before 12th century

: a biennial garden plant (Beta vulgaris) of the goosefoot family that includes several cultivars (as Swiss chard and sugar beet) and that has thick edible leaves with long petioles and often swollen purplish-red roots ; also : its root used especially as a vegetable, as a source of sugar, or for forage