Kail

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of collard or cabbage, often utilized for culinary purposes
2. A term used to describe a specific variant of green vegetable in certain cultures
3. Commonly refers to the leafy vegetable that is typically cooked or consumed in salads

Etymology: Kail is simply an older spelling of kale, and the two spellings reflect a Scottish and northern English form of the word. The plant's name passed into English from Old English "cāl" and "cāwel," which came from Latin "caulis," meaning stalk or cabbage. The Latin word also gave English "cole," the cabbage family name that survives in words like "cole slaw," so kale and cole are doublets: two English words descended from the same Latin source by different routes. The sound shift that separated them happened in the north. Northern Middle English kept a form "cale" or "cal" while the south developed "col," and the northern spelling eventually settled into "kale" and its Scots variant "kail." Scots "kail" also came to mean a midday meal of broth with cabbage or kale, so the plant name ended up attached to a whole dish.