beet

noun

ˈbēt 

: a biennial garden plant (Beta vulgaris) of the goosefoot family that includes several cultivars (such as Swiss chard and sugar beet) and that has thick edible leaves with long petioles and often swollen purplish-red roots

also : its root used especially as a vegetable, as a source of sugar, or for forage

Examples of beet in a Sentence

I've planted carrots, parsnips, and beets in the garden.

Recent Examples on the Web

The French — but not stuffy-French — menu leans seafood heavy, but the horseradish-spiked beets and baked brie beckon. —Jill Cassidy, The Arizona Republic, 14 June 2024

This pink-hued spin combines pickled beets, sweet pickle relish, eggs, carrots, and potatoes. —Omar Tate, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2024

Parents may see veggie puffs, marketed as a healthy alternative to sugar-laden snacks, as a way to make foods like beets, carrots, potatoes and tomatoes palatable for kids. —Kate Gibson, CBS News, 5 June 2024

The meal offers special mocktail pairings with distinct flavors like lemon verbena, beets and burro, an herb used to make digestive teas and infusions. —Christine Chitnis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bete, from Old English bēte, from Latin beta

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing beet

• beet armyworm
• beet leafhopper
• beet red
• red as a beet
• sugar beet

Kids Definition

beet

noun

ˈbēt 

: a garden plant with thick long-stalked edible leaves and usually an enlarged purplish red root used as a vegetable, as a source of sugar, or as food for livestock

also : this root