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

Araceli, seen at 16, has planted lettuce, cauliflower and broccoli in the Santa Maria Valley.

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He made the face of a child being made to eat his broccoli.

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Atlanta-based entrepreneur Tamara Lucas recently started her own garden in her backyard to keep a lid on rising costs, growing okra, kale and broccoli to help feed her two teenage boys.

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Visitors to Puglia, a major producer of durum wheat, can try handmade pastas in a variety of shapes, paired with broccoli rabe, sea urchin and even a horse ragù.

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The broccoli rabe was turned into a kind of cruciferous pesto.

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Related Words

• sauerkraut 

When To Use

What else does broccoli mean?

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