artichoke

American  

[ahr-ti-chohk] / ˈɑr tɪˌtʃoʊk /

noun

• artichokes
  plural

1. a tall, thistlelike composite plant, Cynara scolymus, native to the Mediterranean region, of which the numerous scalelike bracts and receptacle of the immature flower head are eaten as a vegetable.

2. the large, rounded, closed flower head itself.

3. Jerusalem artichoke.

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artichoke British  

/ ˈɑːtɪˌtʃəʊk /

noun

1. Also called: globe artichoke.  a thistle-like Eurasian plant, Cynara scolymus, cultivated for its large edible flower head containing many fleshy scalelike bracts: family Asteraceae (composites)

2. the unopened flower head of this plant, which can be cooked and eaten

3. See Jerusalem artichoke

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• artichokes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of artichoke

1525–35; < Upper Italian articiocco, variant (by dissimilation) of arciciocco, arcicioffo < *arcarcioffo < Old Spanish alcarchofa < dialectal Arabic al-kharshūf the artichoke

Explanation

An artichoke is an edible plant with many leaves and a tender, delicious heart. Some people like to dip their artichoke leaves in melted butter. The artichoke you can buy in the supermarket is called a "globe artichoke," and it's specially cultivated to be tasty. Artichokes are actually a kind of thistle, or a prickly, flowering plant. The part of an artichoke that's edible has to be picked before it blooms, or it becomes too tough to eat. The word comes from the Northern Italian articiocco, with its Arabic root word, al-hursufa.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

artichoke artichokes

The best salads mix the cooked — a little caramelized onion, roasted red pepper, maybe a chopped artichoke heart — with the crisp rawness of shaved fennel, scallions or celery.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025

Almost all the plants in their garden are California natives, except for the plants producing food, such as their giant artichoke bush, or flowers for bouquets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2025

My most recent one is a tortino di carciofi — a spiral omelet with an artichoke in the middle that I eat at Trattoria Sostanza in Florence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2024

"We're now in a situation where we have a full-on drought," says Xavier Oliva, an artichoke farmer who owns land just outside the city.

From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2024

I could feel their pity as they scooped artichoke dip with chips intended for my imaginary friends, but they needed pity more than I did: I wasn’t disappointed.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

Ready to splurge, I ordered squid-ink gnocchi, Dover sole with artichokes and an ethereal persimmon sorbet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026

They’re just actually making you eat really delicious things that just happen to be like artichokes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2026

Additionally, it can be found in beans, artichokes, and sweet potatoes, and in fermented foods such as sourdough bread, as well as miso, kimchi, and sauerkraut.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2024

The brackish, mineral flavors of the oysters are complemented perfectly by the tangy, nutty, earthy artichokes.

From Salon ● Nov. 7, 2024

At their dinner table Mia tried foods she’d never tasted: artichokes, olives, Brie.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng