rutabaga /ˈɹutəˌbeɪɡə/ noun2 •(US, Canada) The swede, or Swedish turnip; the European plant Brassica napus var. napobrassica •(US, Canada) The edible root of this plantSometimes your royal dogs tear down our thatch, And then we seek the shelter of a ditch; Hog-wash or grains, or ruta-baga, none Has yet been ours since your reign begun. — 1820 formsrutabagas