Swedes

/ˈswɪdz/ noun

Definition

People from Sweden, or alternatively, a root vegetable with orange-yellow flesh, also called a rutabaga.

Etymology

For the people: from 'Sweden,' the Scandinavian country. For the vegetable: from the 17th century when this root crop was developed or introduced in Sweden, gaining the name 'Swedish turnip' or swede.

Kelly Says

The word 'swede' has a fun double meaning—in British English, it means both a person from Sweden AND the vegetable (which Americans call rutabaga), and this confusion delights British comedians! The vegetable became associated with Sweden because it was widely cultivated there, though the crop may have originated in Central Europe.

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