late Old English rædic "radish," from Latin radicem (nominative radix) "root, radish," from PIE root *wrad- "twig, root" (cognates: Greek rhiza, Lesbian brisda "root;" Greek hradamnos "branch;" Gothic waurts, Old English wyrt; Welsh gwridd, Old Irish fren "root"). Spelling perhaps influenced by Old French radise, variant of radice, from Vulgar Latin *radicina, from radicem.