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

That meager bowl of cabbage broth—so bare, I wouldn’t even call it a soup—failed to satisfy my hearty appetite.

From Literature

Shredded raw red cabbage and roasted sweet potato coins, caramelized at the edges.

From Salon

We started with wasabi shumai filled with pork and cabbage, and enough wasabi to bring a huge smile to my face.

From Salon

Christmas dinner often includes foods such as brussel sprouts, red cabbage and turkey which we rarely eat the rest of the year.

From BBC

Red and green cabbage deserve more love here; they stay crisp, add color and hold onto dressing like champs.

From Salon

Related Words

• sauerkraut