Asparagus

Definition: Asparagus

Asparagus

Noun

1. Plant whose succulent young shoots are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

2. Edible young shoots of the asparagus plant.

Date "asparagus" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1615. (references)

Specialty Definition: Asparagus

Domain	Definition
Dream Interpretation	To dream of asparagus, signifies prosperous surroundings and obedience from servants and children. To eat it, denotes interrupted success. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted ....
Food & Agriculture	The asparagus belongs to the lily family, which also includes onions, garlic and leeks. Cultivated for centuries, it also grows wild in many parts of the world. In Europe, white asparagus is prized. To prevent the production of chlorophyll and keep the spears white, the asparagus beds are covered with mulch to keep out the sun. Source: European Union. (references)
Tips from 1870	Usage: Sparrowgrass, Asparagus. The word sparrowgrass, which is a corruption of the word asparagus, illustrates how readily the uneducated mind associates an unusual term with another that is familiar, and as the mental impression is received through the ear, and lacks that definiteness which the printed form would give, the new idea, when repeated, often assumes a picturesque, if not a ludicrous, form. Many of Mrs. Partington's quaint sayings furnish further illustration. The following incident, from a Western paper, shows the successive stages in the farmer's mental operations from the familiar terms skin, hide, oxhide, up to the unfamiliar chemical term oxide, through which he was obliged to pass before he succeeded in making known his wants: The man was in a brown study when he went into the drug store. "What can we do for you?" inquired the clerk. "I want black-- something of something," he said; "have you got any?" "Probably we have," replied the clerk, "but you'll have to be more definite than that to get it." The farmer thought for a moment. "Got any black sheepskin of something?" he asked. "No; we don't keep sheepskins. We have chamois-skins, though." "That ain't it, I know," said the customer. "Got any other kind of skins?" "No." "Skins-- skins-- skins!" slowly repeated the man, struggling with his slippery memory. "Calfskin seems to be something like it. Got any black calfskins of anything?" "No, not one," and the clerk laughed. The customer grew red in the face. "Confound it!" he said, "if it ain't a skin, what in thunder is it?" "Possibly it's a hide?" suggested the clerk. "That's it! That's it!" exclaimed the man. "Have you got any black hides of something or anything?" The clerk shook his head sadly as the man tramped up and down the store. "Got any black cowhide of anything?" he asked, after a moment's thought. The clerk's face showed a gleam of intelligence, and then broke into a smile. "Possibly it's black oxide of manganese you want?" he said, quietly. "Of course, that's it!" he exclaimed, as he threw his arms around the clerk's neck. "I knowed blamed well there was a skin or hide or something somewhere about the thing," and he calmed down quietly and waited for what he wanted. Source: Slips of Speech.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Specialty Definition: Asparagus

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Asparagus is a vegetable, specifically the young shoots of Asparagus officinalis, a member of the lily family Asparagaceae. It has been used from very early times as a culinary vegetable, owing to its delicate flavour and diuretic properties.

In its simplest form, the shoots are boiled or steamed until tender and served with a light sauce or melted butter. Small or full-sized stalks can be made into asparagus soup. Cantonese restaurants in the United States often serve asparagus stir-fried with chicken, shrimp, or beef.

One problem with asparagus is that a constituent of the plant is metabolised and excreted in the urine, giving it a distictive, mildly unpleasant odour. The smell was once thought to be methyl mercaptan (methyl sulfide, CH₃SH), but it now appears to be some other compound. Everyone excretes the compound, but some (perhaps fortunate) people are genetically incapable of smelling it. The amino acid asparagine gets its name from asparagus, the asparagus plant being rich in this compound.

The shoots of a related plant, Ornithogalum pyrenaicum, called Prussian asparagus, have been used for similar purposes as genuine asparagus.

Asparagus is widely grown around villages near Evesham in the Vale of Evesham in Worcestershire, England, and the plant grows wild on England's south coast.

External links

Asparagus information from the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Asparagus."

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Synonym: Asparagus

Synonym: edible asparagus (n). (additional references)

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Crosswords: Asparagus

English words defined with "asparagus": Asparagaceae, asparagine, Asparaginous, asparagus bed, Asparagus beetle, Asparagus racemosus ♦ family Asparagaceae ♦ Sparagrass, Sparrowgrass ♦ Turioniferous. (references)

Specialty definitions using "asparagus": agricultural robotics ♦ Beefeaters ♦ FARMWORKER, DIVERSIFIED CROPS I, FARMWORKER, VEGETABLE II ♦ garden worker ♦ laborer, vegetable farm ♦ Sombonaza, Sparrowgrass ♦ vegetable worker, Very Vulgar Vulgarisms. (references)

Etymologies containing "asparagus": sparrowgrass. (references)

Non-English Usage: "Asparagus" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses.

German (asparagus fern), Latin (asparagus), Serbo-Croatian (sparrow grass).

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Modern Usage: Asparagus

Domain	Usage
Screenplays	Pass the asparagus. (American Beauty; writing credit: Alan Ball) Asparagus. (City Slickers; writing credit: Lowell Ganz; Babaloo Mandel) Drop the asparagus! (VeggieTales: Larry-Boy & the Fib from Outer Space!; writing credit: Sylvia Ulrich; Klaus Waller)
Lyrics	Being a noted scientist and the creator of the cloned Asparagus, (Mephisto and Kevin; performing artist: Primus) Giving Asparagus a much more pleasent presentation in the world's (Mephisto and Kevin; performing artist: Primus) So that all Asparagus would grow to the same girth and length, (Mephisto and Kevin; performing artist: Primus) Was to genetically duplicate the DNA structure of Asparagus, (Mephisto and Kevin; performing artist: Primus)
Movie/TV Titles	Sex & Asparagus (2003) Asparagus (1979)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Commercial Usage: Asparagus

Domain	Title
Books	Asparagus (reference) Asparagus can do it for you! (reference) Asparagus, Asparagus, Ah Sweet Asparagus (reference) Mud Puddles, Rainbows and Asparagus Tips: Learning's Best Language Arts Ideas (reference) Soups from A to Z : Asparagus to Zucchini (reference) (more book examples)

Periodicals	Asparagus Research Newsletter (reference) (more periodical examples)

Music	Horror Asparagus Stories (reference) The Age of Asparagus (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Consumer Goods	All-Clad Stainless Asparagus Pot with Steamer Basket (reference) Roshco Stainless Steel 3-1/2-Quart Asparagus Steamer (reference) (more baby examples; more wireless phone examples; more garden examples; more kitchen examples; more tool examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Image Slideshow: Asparagus

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Photo Album: Asparagus

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	This image shows a display of healthy foods on a table. Foods include beans, grains, cauliflour, cantelope, pasta, bread, orange, turkey, salmon, carrots, turnips, zucchini, snowpeas, string beans, radishes, asparagus, summer squash, lean beef, tomatoes, and potatoes. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist.		Women in war. Summer canning workers. A skilled and vastly important job in this Rochelle, Illinois, asparagus canning factory is performed by this woman grading expert. The grade of vegetables, their water content, and the relative excellence of the prod. Credit: Library of Congress.
	Italian workers from Trenton and nearby areas grading and bunching asparagus in packing house. Starkey Farms, Morrisville Pennsylvania. Credit: Library of Congress.
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Non-Fiction Usage: Asparagus

Subject	Topic	Quote
Health		Smaller amounts are found in cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, other vegetables, and whole grains. (references)
		Foodborne botulism has often been from home-canned foods with low acid content, such as asparagus, green beans, beets and corn. However, outbreaks of botulism from more unusual sources such as chopped garlic in oil, chile peppers, tomatoes, improperly handled baked potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil, and home-canned or fermented fish. Persons who do home canning should follow strict hygienic procedures to reduce contamination of foods. (references)
Business		In addition, Baja California's horticulture distinguishes itself for its production of asparagus, green onions, tomatoes and broccoli. (references)
Economic History	Denmark	Best potential exist for asparagus and fungi. (references)
	Switzerland	U.S. exports of fresh green asparagus continue to enjoy buoyant demand. (references)
	Switzerland	U.S. fresh asparagus sales were valued at $16.5 million in 1996 of which 99 percent were green. (references)
Trade	Germany	Under the Uruguay Round Agreement duties for horticultural products have been reduced in six equal annual installments by an average of 36 percent by July 1, 2000. Increased export opportunities will be created for single-strength orange juice, fresh foliage, shelled and roasted almonds, walnuts, apples, fresh asparagus, fresh grapes, roasted pistachios and potato chips. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

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Usage Frequency: Asparagus

"Asparagus" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 99.01% of the time. "Asparagus" is used about 101 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Noun (singular)	99.01%	100	32,668
Noun (proper)	0.99%	1	339,140
Total	100.00%	101	N/A

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Expression: Asparagus

Expressions using "asparagus": asparagus asparagoides ♦ asparagus bean ♦ asparagus bed ♦ asparagus beetle ♦ asparagus fern ♦ asparagus officinales ♦ asparagus officinalis ♦ asparagus pea ♦ asparagus plumosus ♦ asparagus racemosus ♦ asparagus setaceous ♦ bath asparagus ♦ edible asparagus ♦ genus Asparagus ♦ head of asparagus ♦ prussian asparagus. Additional references.
Hyphenated Usage
	Beginning with "asparagus": asparagus-seller.
	Ending with "asparagus": sea-asparagus.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Asparagus

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.

Expression	Frequency per Day	Expression	Frequency per Day
asparagus	889	planting asparagus	26
asparagus recipe	361	asparagus root	22
agriculture asparagus	157	asparagus salad	21
asparagus seed	103	asparagus seller	20
growing asparagus	102	asparagus freezing	19
asparagus soup	91	white asparagus	18
asparagus grilled	83	asparagus roasted	17
asparagus fern	71	steamed asparagus	17
cook asparagus	69	asparagus quiche	17
pickled asparagus	58	asparagus wild	16
asparagus importer	55	asparagus casserole	15
asparagus cooking	48	asparagus picture	15
asparagus plant	46	asparagus buyer wholesale	13
asparagus soup recipe	41	asparagus nutrition	13
asparagus pickled recipe	40	asparagus sauce	13
asparagus company list	37	asparagus barbecue	12
cream of asparagus soup	32	asparagus chicken	11
asparagus urine	29	asparagus baked	11
grow asparagus	29	asparagus grilling	11
asparagus grilled recipe	29	asparagus crown	11
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translation: Asparagus

Language		Translations for "asparagus"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Afrikaans		aspersie. (various references)

Albanian		shparg (sparrow grass). (various references)

Arabic		‏الهليون نبات. (various references)

Bavarian		spargel. (various references)

Bulgarian		аспержа (sparrow grass). (various references)

Chinese		芦笋. (various references)

Czech		chřest. (various references)

Danish		asparges. (various references)

Dutch		asperge. (various references)

Esperanto		asparago. (various references)

Farsi		مارچوبه ء رسمی . (various references)

Finnish		parsa. (various references)

French		asperge. (various references)

Frisian		asperzje. (various references)

German		Spargel (asparaguses). (various references)

Greek		σπαράγγι. (various references)

Hungarian		spárga (chinese splits, forward split, forward splits, sparrow grass, sparrow-grass, twine). (various references)

Indonesian		asperges, tumbuh-tumbuhan (plant). (various references)

Italian		asparago (sparrow grass). (various references)

Japanese Kanji		アステカ族 (ASPAC, asterisk, astringent, astringent lotion, Astrodome, astrology, astronaut, astro-rama, Aztec). (various references)

Japanese Katakana		アスパラガス . (various references)

Korean		아스파라거스. (various references)

Manx		lus ny sooghid, croau-muc feie, asparag. (various references)

Norwegian		asparges. (various references)

Pig Latin		asparagusay

Portuguese		espargo (sparrow-grass), aspargo. (various references)

Romanian		sparanghel (sparrow grass). (various references)

Romansch		spargia. (various references)

Russian		спаржа (grass, sparrow grass, sparrow-grass). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian		špargle. (various references)

Spanish		espárrago (double-end stay bolt, double-end stud, double-end stud-bolt, double-ended stay bolt, double-ended stud, double-ended stud-bolt, stay bolt, stud, stud-bolt). (various references)

Swedish		sparris (aparagus, sparrow grass). (various references)

Thai		หน่อไม้ฝรั่ง. (various references)

Turkish		kuşkonmaz (sparrowgrass). (various references)

Ukrainian		спаржа, аспарагус. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Ancestral Language Translations: Asparagus

Language	Period	Translations
Latin	500 BCE-Modern	asparagus, Asparagus officinalis. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Misspellings: Asparagus

Misspellings
	"Asparagus" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Acarigua, Ampiaraus, aspargus, aspearagus, asperagus, Astareus. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Rhyming with "Asparagus"

# of Phoneme Matches	Pronunciation	Word(s) rhyming with "asparagus" (pronounced uspe"rugus)
4	-u g u s	analogous, esophagus, homologous, sarcophagus.
3	-g u s	Argus, bodegas, bogus, Degas, dingus, fungus, heterozygous, homozygous, humongous, Negus.
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

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Anagrams: Asparagus

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "a-a-a-g-p-r-s-s-u"
	-3 letters: grasps, sprags, sprugs, sugars.
	-4 letters: agars, argus, auras, gasps, gaurs, gauss, grasp, grass, guars, paras, praus, ragas, rasps, sagas, spars, sprag, sprug, spurs, sugar, supra, suras.
	-5 letters: agar, agas, asps, aura, gaps, gars, gasp, gaur, guar, para, pars, pass, prau, pugs, purs, puss, raga, rags, raps, rasp, ruga, rugs, saga, sags, saps, spar.
	Words containing the letters "a-a-a-g-p-r-s-s-u"
	+4 letters: subparagraphs.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.