asparagus

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The tender young shoots of a Eurasian plant (Asparagus officinalis), eaten as a vegetable.
2. n. Any of various perennial plants of the Old World genus Asparagus having leaflike stems, scalelike leaves, and small flowers.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A plant of the genus Asparagus, especially A. officinalis.
2. n. A large genus of plants of the old world, natural order Liliaceæ. That which is cultivated in gardens, the common asparagus, or Asparagus officinalis, has a much-branched stem rising from thick and matted perennial root-stocks, and small greenish-yellow flowers. The narrow thread-like so-called leaves are in reality branchlets growing in clusters in the axils of the true but scale-like leaves. The roots have a bitterish mucilaginous taste, and the stalk is in some degree aperient and deobstruent, but not very efficacious. The part eaten is the turion, or young shoot covered with scales in place of leaves. The sprouts contain the crystalline substance called asparagin.

Wiktionary

1. n. Any of various perennial plants of the genus Asparagus having leaflike stems, scalelike leaves, and small flowers.
2. n. The young shoots of Asparagus officinalis eaten as a vegetable.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A genus of perennial plants belonging to the natural order Liliaceæ, and having erect much branched stems, and very slender branchlets which are sometimes mistaken for leaves. Asparagus racemosus is a shrubby climbing plant with fragrant flowers. Specifically: The Asparagus officinalis, a species cultivated in gardens.
2. n. The young and tender shoots of Asparagus officinalis, which form a valuable and well-known article of food.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. plant whose succulent young shoots are cooked and eaten as a vegetable
2. n. edible young shoots of the asparagus plant