Cauliflowers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A cultivated variety of a vegetable plant within the cabbage family, characterized by its large, edible white flower clusters often incorporated into diverse culinary dishes
2. A member of the Brassica species, this plant features a substantial, white, edible flowering structure that is widely utilized in numerous recipes
3. A type of vegetable with a compact, white flower head that is grown for consumption

Etymology: The plural "cauliflowers" simply counts more than one head of the vegetable, so the history belongs to the singular. The English name began in the 16th century as "cole-florye," built from "cole," a word for cabbage that came from Latin "caulis," and "flower," because the vegetable's pale, clustered head looks like a bloom. The spelling then shifted. Writers reshaped the name to match its Latin ancestor more closely, so "caulis" showed up in the word and the final form "cauliflower" took hold. Strictly speaking, the English word is a compound that sits oddly with its Latin parts: the "-i-" in the middle is a linking vowel, so the word reads as "caul-" plus "-i-" plus "flower." French and Italian arrived at the same picture independently. French calls it "chou-fleur" (cabbage-flower), and Italian "cavolfiore," both built on the same idea of a cabbage that blooms.

Synonyms: cabbage, broccoli