celeriac

noun

ce·​le·​ri·​ac sə-ˈler-ē-ˌak  -ˈlir- 

: a celery (Apium graveolens var. rapaceum) grown for its knobby edible root

Examples of celeriac in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In Manhattan, a celery root ice cream floats in a briny celeriac soda at Smithereens, and at Echelon in Ann Arbor, Michigan, savory corn ice cream gets topped with a glistening dollop of caviar. —Charlie Kolodziej, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Jan. 2026

The celeriac mousseline is silky and warm, and the bordelaise brings everything together with that deep, savory finish. —Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 29 Dec. 2025

The Golden Hill eatery will have a family-style feast with shareable foods such as roasted chicken breast, rice noodles with chili oil, gnocchi with béchamel and roasted celeriac. —Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Dec. 2025

It’s paired with a smooth celeriac purée that’s earthy, slightly sweet, and light enough to balance the richness. —Rafael Peña, Miami Herald, 23 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

altered from celery; the origin of suffixal -ac is obscure

Note: Word apparently introduced by the English gardener and landscaper Stephen Switzer (1682?-1745) in A compendious, but more particular method, than has ever yet been published, for the raising Italian brocoli, Spanish cardoon, celeriac, fenochi, and other foreign kitchen vegetables, so as to make them dishes more generally used than hithero they have been (London, first edition 1728 or 1729). Switzer claimed to have received celeriac seeds from Alexandria, but gives no account of the source of the word.

First Known Use

1743, in the meaning defined above