cabbage

¹ American  

[kab-ij] / ˈkæb ɪdʒ /

noun

1. any of several cultivated varieties of a plant, Brassica oleracea capitata, of the mustard family, having a short stem and leaves formed into a compact, edible head.

2. the head or leaves of this plant, eaten cooked or raw.

3. Slang. money, especially paper money.

4. Chiefly British Informal.

   1. a stupid, dull, or spiritless person.

   2. a mentally impaired person who is unable to live independently; vegetable.

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cabbage ² American  

[kab-ij] / ˈkæb ɪdʒ /

noun

1. Chiefly British.

   1. cloth scraps that remain after a garment has been cut from a fabric and that by custom the tailor may claim.

   2. Also called cab.  such scraps used for reprocessing.

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verb (used with or without object)

cabbaged, cabbaging

1. to steal; pilfer.

   He cabbaged whole yards of cloth.

cabbage ¹ British  

/ ˈkæbɪdʒ /

noun

1. Also called: cole.  any of various cultivated varieties of the plant Brassica oleracea capitata, typically having a short thick stalk and a large head of green or reddish edible leaves: family Brassicaceae (crucifers) See also brassica savoy Compare skunk cabbage Chinese cabbage

2. a European plant, Brassica oleracea, with broad leaves and a long spike of yellow flowers: the plant from which the cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprout have been bred

3. 1. the head of a cabbage

   2. the edible leaf bud of the cabbage palm

4. informal a dull or unimaginative person

5. informal a person who has no mental faculties and is dependent on others for his or her subsistence

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cabbage ² British  

/ ˈkæbɪdʒ /

noun

1. snippets of cloth appropriated by a tailor from a customer's material

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verb

1. to steal; pilfer

Other Word Forms

• cabbagelike adjective

Etymology

Origin of cabbage¹

1350–1400; Middle English caboche, caboge, cabage head of cabbage < dialectal Old French (Picardy, Normandy) literally, head, noggin, equivalent to ca- formative in expressive words, of uncertain origin + boche; boss ², botch ²

Origin of cabbage²

1615–25; earlier carbage shred, piece of cloth, apparently variant of garbage wheat straw chopped small (obsolete sense)

Example Sentences

This year, the baton is being handed to a vegetable: the leafy and cruciferous cabbage.

From Salon

Pulled smoked chicken + frozen mac and cheese + cabbage slaw.

From Salon

They picked cabbages for a living near the central city of Isfahan, before returning to Afghanistan in 2024.

From Barron's

They pointed to the slugs that they were picking from the cabbage leaves.

From Literature

There were rows with tall turnips and carrots and cabbages growing from neat rows in the dirt.

From Literature

Related Words

• sauerkraut