Cauliflower

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒl.i.flaʊ.ə/

Definitions

1. A white vegetable with a compact head of thick, clustered florets on a short stem, commonly eaten cooked or raw
2. A nutritious vegetable with a dense arrangement of white flower buds upon a sturdy stem, commonly utilized in a wide range of culinary preparations
3. A flowering vegetable characterized by a close cluster of white curds on a robust stalk, often featured in various dishes both cooked and raw

Etymology: The name is a blend of two ideas: "cole," an old English word for cabbage, and "flower," because the edible part is a dense cluster of undeveloped flower buds. Early English spellings were "cole-florye," and the word was later reshaped to look more like its Latin source, "caulis," meaning stem or cabbage, which is why the modern spelling carries that extra "-i-" and the "caul" sound. Its cousins in other languages show the same pattern. French calls it "chou-fleur" and Italian "cavolfiore," both pairing a cabbage word with a word for flower. English simply made the match in its own way, borrowing the Latin root for the cabbage half while keeping the native "flower" for the head of tightly packed buds.

Synonyms: cabbage flower, brassica