rutabaga

Where does the word "rutabaga" come from? It comes from Swedish (dialect) rotabagge, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Rutabaga’s story begins in Swedish (dialect): rotabagge meant “a root vegetable.” Combining "rot" (root) and "bagge" (a lump), the root vegetable. It reached English by 1800s as rutabaga. Swedish dialect 'rotabagge', root bag; the British call it 'swede'. Today, rutabaga means a large, round root vegetable, also called a swede or Swedish turnip.

1. Stage 1 · Swedish (dialect) · 1700s rotabagge "a root vegetable", combining "rot" (root) and "bagge" (a lump), the root vegetable.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s rutabaga "a large, edible root vegetable", Swedish dialect 'rotabagge', root bag; the British call it 'swede'.