Probably a compound of turn (for its round shape) and neep (from Old English naep, from Latin napus 'turnip'), replacing the older English word neep.
A round root vegetable with white or yellowish flesh, grown as food for humans and livestock.
Probably a compound of turn (referring to the round, turned shape of the root) and neep (from Old English naep, from Latin napus 'turnip'). The neep element was borrowed from Latin in the Old English period, while the turn- prefix was added later, possibly to distinguish the round white turnip from other root vegetables. Scots and Northern English dialects preserve the older form neep. Key roots: napus (Latin: "turnip (possibly from a pre-Indo-European substrate)"), turn (English (from Old French): "to turn, to