n.
Pronunciation: ə - ' sper- ə -g ə s, - ' spa-r ə -
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -gus
Etymology: New Latin, genus name, from Latin, asparagus plant, from Greek asparagos; perhaps akin to Greek spargan to swell
Date: 1545
: any of a genus ( Asparagus ) of Old World perennial plants of the lily family having much-branched stems, minute scalelike leaves, and narrow usually filiform branchlets that function as leaves especially : one ( A. officinalis ) widely cultivated for its edible young shoots