Parsnip \Pars"nip\, n. [OE. parsnepe, from a French form, fr. L. pastinaca; cf. pastinare to dig up, pastinum a kind of dibble; cf. OF. pastenade, pastenaque.]

(Bot.) The aromatic and edible spindle-shaped root of the cultivated form of the Pastinaca sativa, a biennial umbelliferous plant which is very poisonous in its wild state; also, the plant itself.

Cow parsnip. See Cow parsnip.

Meadow parsnip, the European cow parsnip.

Poison parsnip, the wild stock of the parsnip.

Water parsnip, any plant of the umbelliferous genus Sium, the species of which are poisonous.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)