from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Turnip \Tur"nip\ (t[^u]r"n[i^]p), n. [OE. turnep; probably fr.
turn, or F. tour a turn, turning lathe + OE. nepe a turnip,
AS. n[=ae]pe, L. napus. Cf. {Turn}, v. t., {Navew}.] (Bot.)
The edible, fleshy, roundish, or somewhat conical, root of a
cruciferous plant ({Brassica campestris}, var. Napus); also,
the plant itself. [Formerly written also {turnep}.]
[1913 Webster]
{Swedish turnip} (Bot.), a kind of turnip. See {Ruta-baga}.
{Turnip flea} (Zool.), a small flea-beetle ({Haltica,
striolata} syn. {Phyllotreta striolata}), which feeds upon
the turnip, and often seriously injures it. It is black
with a stripe of yellow on each elytron. The name is also
applied to several other small insects which are injurious
to turnips. See Illust. under {Flea-beetle}.
{Turnip fly}. (Zool.)
(a) The turnip flea.
(b) A two-winged fly ({Anthomyia radicum}) whose larvae live
in the turnip root.
[1913 Webster]