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a·ru·gu·la

(ə-rgə-lə)

A Mediterranean plant (Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa) of the mustard family, having flowers with purple-veined, yellowish-white petals and pungent, edible leaves. Also called rocket², roquette.

[From Italian dialectal (Basilicata) arucola or a kindred Italian dialectal source, ultimately from Latin ērūca, bitter cruciferous herb, arugula, perhaps from ērūca, ūrūca, caterpillar (arugula perhaps being so called from its hairy stems resembling caterpillars, or from the fact that cruciferous vegetables are often infested with caterpillars ), perhaps from ēr, hedgehog (with reference to the hairs and spines of some caterpillars).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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