Etymology Map
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Asparagus

4 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means a plant whose young shoots are eaten as a vegetable

Where does the word "asparagus" come from? It comes from Greek asparagos, passing through Latin and English before entering English (1800s).

1
Stage 1 of 4
asparagos
Greek · ancient
"asparagus"
a sprout or shoot, perhaps of Persian origin
2
Stage 2 of 4
asparagus
Latin · classical
"asparagus"
Cato the Elder's De Agri Cultura (c. 160 BC) gives instructions for growing it
3
Stage 3 of 4
sparrowgrass
English · 1600s
"asparagus"
folk etymology turned 'sperage' into 'sparrowgrass'; on 20 April 1667 Samuel Pepys bought 'a hundred of sparrowgrass' in Fenchurch Street
4
Stage 4 of 4
asparagus
English · 1800s
"vegetable shoots"
the Latin form was restored in polite speech, and 'sparrowgrass' was dismissed as vulgar
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Read the full story

Asparagus’s story begins in Greek: asparagos meant “asparagus.” A sprout or shoot, perhaps of Persian origin. By classical, the word had taken hold in Latin as asparagus. Cato the Elder's De Agri Cultura (c. 160 BC) gives instructions for growing it. From there it passed into English as sparrowgrass by 1600s. Folk etymology turned 'sperage' into 'sparrowgrass'; on 20 April 1667 Samuel Pepys bought 'a hundred of sparrowgrass' in Fenchurch Street. It reached English by 1800s as asparagus. The Latin form was restored in polite speech, and 'sparrowgrass' was dismissed as vulgar. Today, asparagus means a plant whose young shoots are eaten as a vegetable.