English
beet
Beet comes from Middle English bete, and goes back to Latin bēta.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbēta
- Old Englishc. 450–1150bēte
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bete
- Englishearliest quotation 1961beet
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbēta
- Old Englishc. 450–1150bēte
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bete
- Englishearliest quotation 1961beet
Earliest quotation: 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs: “In general, beets, carrots, and turnips are all of…”
Linked words
through Latin bēta
Today it means
noun Beta vulgaris, a plant with a swollen root which is eaten or used to make sugar.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin bēta / beet