Talk:beetroot

Etymology
The page currently says "From beet + root". Given that the German is 'Rote Beete', is it not possible that 'beet + red' is another derivation? I have no hard evidence for this, but conversely have found no hard evidence that 'beet + root' is the only valid origin: it could just be an assumption. My 1933 OED offers only 'beete roote' from 1579, which could be either, no?

--Ozaru 12:14, 21 February 2009 (UTC)


 * Beete roote just means beet root. Red beet would have been rēade beete. —Stephen 16:13, 22 February 2009 (UTC)

RFV discussion: February–May 2017
Rfv-sense: "A normally deep red coloured cultivar of the beet". I say that this is simply a synonym of beet. Any evidence for a separate sense referring to a specific cultivar? DTLHS (talk) 22:01, 24 February 2017 (UTC)
 * MWOnline has a somewhat similar definition as being "UK". DCDuring TALK 22:36, 24 February 2017 (UTC)
 * That is the only meaning that I recognise (Beta vulgaris). SemperBlotto (talk) 04:53, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Beta cicla is the one used to make sugar. SemperBlotto (talk) 04:55, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
 * The original 2005 definition for the entry was "A normally deep red coloured cultivar of the beet. A root vegetable usually cooked or pickled before eating". It looks to me like the "normally deep red" part is parenthetical, and the "cultivar" was thrown in without thought about its meaning. This was later split up into what became the two senses we have now. I don't think the original creator of the entry (Judging by their IP, they were in Lancashire) intended anything except the normal UK meaning of what the US calls a beet, but their definition was misinterpreted due to poor wording. By the way: you can find usage for yellow beetroot, sugar beetroot, and even beetroot greens. Chuck Entz (talk) 06:34, 25 February 2017 (UTC)


 * I don't know if this helps the RFV, but as a British person I'm not really familiar with the word "beet" but I know "beetroot" as the deep purple-red thing that can be bought pickled. Equinox ◑ 06:42, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Do you picture it with leaves, ie, as what I might call a beet plant? How do rural folks and agriculturalists use the term, referring to the plant, the foodstock, the prepared food, some or all of the preceding? DCDuring TALK 13:52, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
 * As someone who was originally American that has been transplanted to New Zealand (where usage is the same as the UK on this one) I can verify that beetroot is just a synonym for beet, in all senses (the plant, the foodstock, the prepared food, etc) Kiwima (talk) 18:54, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
 * From Mapp and Lucia: “‘—and he used my coal and my electric light as if they were his own, not to mention firing,’ said Elizabeth, going on exactly where she had left off, ‘and a whole row of beetroot.’” Here it's pretty clear the (British) speaker is using beetroot to refer to the entire plant, and not just the edible root of it. As an American, I would have said "a whole row of beets", so I agree that beetroot is simply a synonym of beet in all relevant senses. It is neither more specific nor more general than beet; it's merely preferred in different parts of the English-speaking world. —Aɴɢʀ (talk) 20:48, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
 * So you're saying you would never use the word "beet" on its own, but always "beetroot"? And that this is common in your dialect? DTLHS (talk) 19:04, 25 February 2017 (UTC)


 * Yes, I'd never use it, and yes, I don't recall hearing it or seeing it on packages. I've also heard of "golden beetroot" and "yellow beetroot". Equinox ◑ 22:56, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Ditto. In the UK I have only ever heard the word "beet" used to mean "sugarbeet", the agricultural product. SemperBlotto (talk) 04:24, 26 February 2017 (UTC)


 * A great example of the complexity of plant names from a great site (Univ. of Melbourne). One conclusion is that the term seems to apply to, at least, Beta vulgaris, Beta vulgaris subspecies vulgaris, and Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris (Conditiva Group). BTW, Beta vulgaris subspecies vulgaris includes sugar beets. DCDuring TALK 19:50, 26 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Remove "normally" at least, beetroot are always red. I was responsible for, but I notice Equinox has been at it. DonnanZ (talk) 00:27, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
 * No, beetroot can be other colors as well, at least here in New Zealand it is. Kiwima (talk) 05:00, 6 March 2017 (UTC)


 * RFV-passed.
 * I disagree. The challenged definition refers to a "cultivar", which is a specific variety of a plant. That would mean that only a specific variety can be called beetroot when, in fact, every variety of the vegetable is known as beetroot in the UK, NZ, etc. In other words, the definition says that plain old, ordinary beets can't be called beetroot because they don't belong to the "beetroot" cultivar. Without quotes referring to a cultivar called beetroot, you can't call this passed- and there are no quotes in the entry at all. Chuck Entz (talk) 03:01, 5 May 2017 (UTC)
 * That's just because the definition needed tweaking, not because more citations were needed. How about now? Kiwima (talk) 00:40, 6 May 2017 (UTC)
 * Yes, the definition is fixed, so "clear, widespread use" applies- but the rfv was for the old definition. I would call it resolved, rather than passed. Chuck Entz (talk) 01:33, 6 May 2017 (UTC)