Etymology: Origin unknown. Perhaps compare later rampion n.²

Etymology: Probably < the name of the plant in either Dutch, German, or a Romance language, with insertion of homorganic nasal or alteration of the ending after campion n.², pompion n. Compare Italian raperonzolo (1345; also (originally regional: Central) raponzolo (a1544), (regional: chiefly Northern) ramponzolo (1598 in Florio, or earlier)), of uncertain origin (see note), and compare also (probably all ultimately < Italian) Old Occitan raponcha (1490; Occitan raponchon bellflower, reponchon denoting various other plants, including those of the genus Phyteuma), Catalan repunxó (1575 as rapunxons , plural), Middle French, French raiponce (1564; c1455 as response ; influenced by Middle French raiz root: see race n.²), Spanish †ruponce (1505), ruiponce (a1541, with alteration after a personal name), †raponce (1606), (now usually) rapónchigo (early 19th cent. or earlier; influenced by ruipóntigo a species of rhubarb: see rhapontic n.), Dutch †raponcelen , plural (1543), †rapuntzele (1546), †raponce (1608), etc. (now rapunzel , (more usually) rapunzelklokje , and (with diminutive suffix) raponsje ; at least partly < German), Middle Low German (rare) rapuntzel , German Rapunzel (early 16th cent. as †rabintzlen (plural), †rapänzele (plural); probably < an Italian regional form), and post-classical Latin rapunculum , rapunculus , rapontium , rapuntium (frequently in 16th-cent. Dutch and German sources), rapuntiolum (1564 in a French source), which is used by 16th- and 17th-cent. botanists to denote both the bellflower and several related plants (see note at sense 2).Although the medial -m- of the English word is paralleled in northern Italian dialects, where forms in ramp- are widely attested (see O. Penzig Flora popolare italiana (1924) 90), direct Italian influence seems unlikely. The same is true of similar forms in Occitan (where they are attested in the sense ‘bellflower’ from a1636 (†rampoucho ), although rare before the 19th cent., and show either shift of the homorganic nasal to the first syllable, or perhaps alteration after rampar ramp v.¹) and Franco-Provençal (where they are attested in the sense ‘lamb's lettuce’ from the 18th cent., and represent borrowings < Italian regional (Piedmont) rampòn ); see further Französisches etymol. Wörterbuch at rapum. The Italian word has frequently been regarded as a derivative (formed with several suffixes) of rapa rape n.⁵ (see further Französisches etymol. Wörterbuch at rapum), but recent authoritative dictionaries of Italian consider this more likely to be a folk etymology (see e.g. M. Cortelazzo & P. Zolli Diz. etimol. della lingua italiana (ed. 2, 1999) at raperonzolo). Although post-classical Latin rapunculum, etc., has sometimes been suggested as the ulterior etymon of the plant name, it is much more likely to be an adaptation of one or more vernacular forms, given its late attestation and close formal resemblance to the latter. For an alternative, but unlikely, suggested etymology see E. Gamillscheg Etym. Wörterbuch der französischen Sprache (ed. 2, 1969) at mâche.