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Meaning & use

mangel-wurzels

noun·AdvancedBritish

Last updated

UK/ˈmæŋɡl ˌwɜːzlz/
US/ˈmæŋɡl ˌwɝːzlz/

“mangel-wurzels” is a form of “mangel-wurzel”.

Meanings

  1. nounpluralBritish

    Large, round root vegetables, related to beets, that are grown mainly as food for cattle and other farm animals.

    Grammar: Plural of mangel-wurzel: one mangel-wurzel, many mangel-wurzels.

    Patterns

    • grow mangel-wurzels
    • feed mangel-wurzels to something

    Farmers once stored mangel-wurzels in long piles to feed their cows through the winter.

    The children carved faces into mangel-wurzels for a harvest festival.

    Mangel-wurzels grow bigger than ordinary beets and are rarely eaten by people.

  2. nounpluralinformalhumorousBritish

    Used as a joking or affectionate term for a country person, often from southwestern England.

    Grammar: Informal and plural: the mangel-wurzels.

    Patterns

    • the mangel-wurzels

    The pub quiz team called themselves the Mangel-Wurzels as a joke about their rural village.

    The old folk song was sung by the mangel-wurzels in a thick country accent.

Word forms

singularmangel-wurzel

Common combinations

grow mangel-wurzels
They used to grow mangel-wurzels for the cattle.
giant mangel-wurzels
The village show awarded a prize for giant mangel-wurzels.
feed mangel-wurzels
Farmers fed mangel-wurzels to livestock in winter.
mangel-wurzel harvest
The mangel-wurzel harvest happens in late autumn.
carve mangel-wurzels
Some people carve mangel-wurzels into lanterns on festival night.

Synonyms and how they differ

mangolds
Mangolds is another name for mangel-wurzels, used more in farming circles.
fodder beets
Fodder beets is the modern agricultural term for the same kind of feed root.
beets
Beets is a broader term, and most beets are grown for people to eat, unlike mangel-wurzels.

Word family

mangel-wurzel noun
one such root vegetable
mangold noun
another name for the vegetable
mangel noun
a shorter name
beet noun
a related root vegetable

Commonly confused: mangel-wurzels or sugar beets?

mangel-wurzels vs sugar beets

Sugar beets are grown to make sugar, while mangel-wurzels are grown for animal feed.

Practice

For what are mangel-wurzels mainly grown?

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