Spanish word

alcachofa

Pronunciation

IPA/alkaˈtʃofa/

Meaning

  • feminine nounartichoke

Example

En la receta necesitamos dos alcachofas.

In the recipe we need two artichokes.

Illustration for alcachofa (artichoke)

More examples

En el mercado vendían alcachofas al vapor ya listas para comer.

At the market they were selling steamed artichokes already ready to eat.

Core concept

Edible rounded flower bud of a thistle-like plant.

Common phrases

  • corazón de alcachofa

    artichoke heart

  • alcachofa al vapor

    steamed artichoke

Similar words

verdura: A vegetable; a plant or plant part served as food in savory cooking.
corazón: The soft, edible heart at the center of an artichoke or similar vegetable.

Definition in Spanish

Planta hortícola cuyo capítulo floral comestible se emplea en la cocina; en diferentes regiones hispanohablantes existen variantes léxicas.

Word origin

Spanish alcachofa comes from Arabic al-khurshuf via medieval forms and has regional variants such as alcaucil.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Spanish alcachofa also commonly names the shower head of a bathroom fitting, so context determines whether it means the vegetable or the fixture.

Other meanings

  • shower headnoun

Word lists with this word