broccoli

American  

[brok-uh-lee, brok-lee] / ˈbrɒk ə li, ˈbrɒk li /

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.

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broccoli British  

/ 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

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Usage

What else does broccoli mean? Content warning: this article references illicit drugs. When not referring to the actual vegetable, broccoli is slang for "marijuana."

Etymology

Origin of broccoli

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

broccoli

Chicken, mac and cheese and broccoli were served, Smith told ABC’s “The View.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026

At home, people might want to try leaving skins on kiwi fruit, using broccoli stalks in stir-fries, or adding bell pepper seeds to dishes, the researchers suggest.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

About three-fourths of the water taken from it flows to farmland, about 5 million acres of it, producing alfalfa for cattle as well as lettuce, broccoli and other crops.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

I tried it recently in my neighborhood supermarket and discovered, phone in hand, that a package of Earthbound Farm broccoli florets had a Taylor Farms connection I would otherwise never have known about.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

There was a whole year's supply of broccoli there by now.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

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Related Words

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