[ ˌskɔ:zə(ʊ)'nɪərə ]
■ noun a plant of the daisy family with tapering purple-brown edible roots, which can be eaten as a vegetable. [ Scorzonera hispanica .]
Origin
C17: from Ital., from scorzone , from an alt. of med. L. curtio(n-) 'venomous snake' (against whose venom the plant may have been regarded as an antidote).