Dictionary

earthapple en · NOUN

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.

Meanings

1. A Jerusalem artichoke (the tuber of Helianthus tuberosus); the plant that produces it.
2. (rare) A potato; the plant that produces it.
   • He finished carefully arranging a plate of fresh prawns, earthapples, and kale he'd bought special for Captain Falcon in Bangalang. 2009, Linda F. Selzer, Charles Johnson in Context:
   • 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, Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell, Edge Chronicles: Stormchaser:
   • 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. 1984, Thomas Jefferson, Merrill D. Peterson, Jefferson: Writings:
   • 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 [...] 2015, H.B. Dill, Supernal Andantes: A Book of Poetry:
   • 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. 2014, Nancy Springer, Madbond:
3. (historical) The fruit of the mandrake (Mandragora officinarum); the plant itself.
4. (obsolete) Any of various tubers or the tuberous plants that produce them, especially sowbread (genus Cyclamen).

Forms

Synonyms

more at Jerusalem artichoke · more at potato · ground pear · sunchoke · ground pear · groundapple