Mangelwurzel
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A root vegetable, variety of Beta vulgaris, cultivated chiefly as cattle feed.
"I have not written to my beloved Amelia for these many weeks past, for what news was there to tell of the sayings and doings at Humdrum Hall, as I have christened it; and what do you care whether the turnip crop is good or bad; whether the fat pig weighed thirteen stone or fourteen; and whether the beasts thrive well upon mangelwurzel?"
Example
More examples"I have not written to my beloved Amelia for these many weeks past, for what news was there to tell of the sayings and doings at Humdrum Hall, as I have christened it; and what do you care whether the turnip crop is good or bad; whether the fat pig weighed thirteen stone or fourteen; and whether the beasts thrive well upon mangelwurzel?"
Etymology
From German Mangold (“chard”) + Wurzel (“root”), with the first part reinterpreted as Mangel, whence the archaic English name "root of scarcity".
Related phrases
More for "mangelwurzel"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.