earthapple

See also: earth-apple and earth apple

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From earlier erth-apple (“tuberous root of the sowbread", also "tomato-like fruit of the mandrake”), from Middle English *erth-appel, from Old English eorþæppel (“cucumber”, literally “earth or ground-apple”), from Proto-West Germanic *erþapplu (the name of various types of fruits which grow on or below the ground; gourd, melon, squash), equivalent to earth +‎ apple. The modern sense of "potato" is a calque of Dutch aardappel (“potato”). Compare also German Erdapfel, French pomme de terre.

Noun

earthapple (plural earthapples)

  1. A Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus).
  2. (rare) A potato.
    • 1984, Thomas Jefferson, Merrill D. Peterson, Jefferson: Writings:
      The most probable account I have been able to collect is, that a vessel of Sir Walter Raleigh's, returning from Guiana, put into the west of Ireland in distress, having on board some potatoes which they called earth-apples.
    • 2009, Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell, Edge Chronicles: Stormchaser:
      It was supper-time on board the Stormchaser, and the sky pirates were all seated round a longbench tucking into a meal of baked snowbird and earthapple mash.
    • 2009, Linda F. Selzer, Charles Johnson in Context:
      He finished carefully arranging a plate of fresh prawns, earthapples, and kale he'd bought special for Captain Falcon in Bangalang.
    • 2014, Nancy Springer, Madbond:
      There were roots of some sort, also, baking like earthapples near the fire, and a basket of late berries, most of them bitter. I ate them anyway.
    • 2015, H.B. Dill, Supernal Andantes: A Book of Poetry:
      When the crickets begin to wail and the midnight Festers with wrinkles, and the dwayberries And earthapples in my wounds cluster and garrote The dewscented boughs of my surreal gaze, Then my dear, bless these tears and rise to me [...]
  3. (historical) The mandrake (Mandragora officinarum), or its fruit.
  4. (obsolete) The name of various tuberous plants, especially sowbread (genus Cyclamen).

Synonyms

See also

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