beet

 
Pronunciation: /biːt/

noun

  • a herbaceous plant widely cultivated as a source of food for humans and livestock, and for processing into sugar. Some varieties are grown for their leaves and some for their swollen nutritious root.
    • Beta vulgaris, family Chenopodiaceae: several subspecies
  • North American term for beetroot.

Origin:

Old English bēte, of West Germanic origin, from Latin beta, perhaps of Celtic origin; related to Dutch beet and German Bete