: any of a genus (Asparagus of the family Asparagaceae, the asparagus family) of Old World perennial plants having much-branched stems, minute scalelike leaves, and narrow usually filiform branchlets that function as leaves
especially: one (A. officinalis) widely cultivated for its edible young shoots
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Examples of asparagus in a Sentence
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Come for the beloved Sunday dinner and dig into foaming lemon butter asparagus and rhubarb and strawberry short cake.—Hannah Howard, Travel + Leisure, 5 July 2025 Home Cuisine's heat-and-eat meal includes honey glazed ham, egg strata, hashbrown casserole, roasted asparagus, fresh fruit, southern biscuits with jam, lemon chess pie (serves eight to 10).—Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025 Features 44 Farms Prime Rib, potato salad, asparagus and potato rolls.—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025 For mains, there’s a 12-ounce ribeye with royal oyster mushrooms, peppercorn sauce and golden hasselback potatoes ($48); a lamb rack glazed with spicy gochujang and chimichurri ($39); and roasted Atlantic salmon with baby carrots, asparagus and tarragon beurre blanc ($28).—Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for asparagus
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, genus name, from Latin, asparagus plant, from Greek asparagos; perhaps akin to Greek spargan to swell
capitalized: a genus of Old World perennial herbs (family Asparagaceae) having erect much-branched stems, minute scalelike leaves, and narrow filiform branchlets that function as leaves
2
a
: any plant of the genus Asparagus
especially: a plant (A. officinalis) widely cultivated for its tender edible young shoots
b
: the root of cultivated asparagus formerly used as a diuretic
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