'artichoke' originates from Italian, specifically the word 'articiocco', and entered English via Old French; earlier influence comes from Arabic 'al-khurshūf' (or 'al-kharshūf'), where 'al-' meant 'the' and 'khurshūf/kharshuf' referred to the plant.

'artichoke' changed from Middle English forms (such as 'artechoke' or 'artichok') borrowed from Old French 'artichaut', which in turn came from Italian 'articiocco'; at an earlier stage the word was influenced by Arabic 'al-khurshūf', and it eventually became the modern English 'artichoke'.

Initially, the word referred to the same plant or its edible bud; over time the primary meaning has remained the edible thistle-like bud, with occasional extended (figurative) uses.