artichoke

American  

[ahr-ti-chohk] / ˈɑr tɪˌtʃoʊk /

noun

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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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

Example Sentences

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

It is not uncommon to puree this soup, but generally each bowl would then be garnished with a whole oyster or two and some chunkier bits of artichoke.

From Salon • Nov. 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

The salad called Verdant ate the same way, arguably too salty with Castelvetrano olives, artichoke and ranch dressing.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2024

But the artichoke doesn’t stop, and Zola pushes through the gate and grabs the metal bucket and throws it into the pond of frogs.

From "The Unfinished Angel" by Sharon Creech