Plural of beet; dark red or purple root vegetables with earthy flavor, eaten as food or used to make sugar.
From Old English 'bete,' from Latin 'beta,' of uncertain origin—possibly from a Semitic language. The word has remained remarkably unchanged for over a thousand years across Germanic and Romance languages.
Ancient Romans used beets as a medical treatment for fevers and constipation, and beet juice was used as a natural dye and even as a blood substitute during World War II when actual blood was scarce.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.