broccoli

[ brok-uh-lee, brok-lee ]

noun

1. a form of a cultivated cruciferous plant, Brassica oleracea botrytis, whose leafy stalks and clusters of usually green buds are eaten as a vegetable.

broccoli

/ ˈbrɒkəlɪ /

noun

1. a cultivated variety of cabbage, Brassica oleracea italica , having branched greenish flower heads
2. the flower head of this plant, eaten as a vegetable before the buds have opened
3. a variety of this plant that does not form a head, whose stalks are eaten as a vegetable

Word History and Origins

Origin of broccoli¹

1690–1700; < Italian, plural of broccolo, equivalent to brocc ( o ) sprout (< Late Latin; broach ) + -olo diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of broccoli¹

C17: from Italian, plural of broccolo a little sprout, from brocco sprout, spike; see brocade

Example Sentences

These pathetic folks need to accept that “jazz has replaced classical music as the dreaded incarnation of eat-your-broccoli art.”

From The Daily Beast

Once inside, he removes a cup of broccoli-cheddar soup from his bag and goes to heat it up.

From The Daily Beast

How is life worth living without spinach, tender asparagus, or purple-sprouting broccoli?

From The Daily Beast

I lived for my packages from home of eggplants and asparagus and tomatoes and broccoli and elephant garlic.

From The Daily Beast

I was lucky enough to have a family that brought broccoli; birdman hunted the local seagulls.

From The Daily Beast

The special merit of Broccoli is its adaptability for late summer planting and its rapid growth in the late fall.

From Project Gutenberg

Broccoli and savoys taste better when a little bacon is boiled with them.

From Project Gutenberg

Boil the greens (Scotch kale, broccoli tops, etc.) in the usual way.

From Project Gutenberg

The flat fields are devoted to the cultivation of broccoli, and early vegetables, fruits, and flowers for the London market.

From Project Gutenberg

Watering may save the crop, but the finest pieces of Broccoli are those that are secured without any watering whatever.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• sauerkraut