cauliflower

American  

[kaw-luh-flou-er, -lee-, kol-uh-, kol-ee-] / ˈkɔ ləˌflaʊ ər, -li-, ˈkɒl ə-, ˈkɒl i- /

noun

1. a form of cultivated plant, Brassica oleracea botrytis, of the mustard family, whose inflorescence forms a compact, usually whitish head.

2. this head, used as a vegetable.

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cauliflower British  

/ ˈkɒlɪˌflaʊə /

noun

1. a variety of cabbage, Brassica oleracea botrytis, having a large edible head of crowded white flowers on a very short thick stem

2. the flower head of this plant, used as a vegetable

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Etymology

Origin of cauliflower

1590–1600; < Latin cauli ( s ) cole + flower; replacing coleflorie < Italian ca ( v ) olfiore, equivalent to cavol cole + fiore < Latin flōri- (stem of flōs ) flower

Example Sentences

Cabbage has long been forgotten among its cruciferous counterparts — broccoli, cauliflower and kohlrabi.

From Salon

The company’s menu currently has a handful of different wings, including bone-in and boneless and one made of cauliflower.

From The Wall Street Journal

Devoting his life to slalom had turned his brain "to cauliflower" but the "real world" had proved to him that the grass wasn't necessarily greener.

From BBC

“A roiling, dark column pumped and convected up as a high cloud looking like dirty cauliflower but every knob moving,” he remembered.

From Literature

Rich dietary sources include eggs, poultry, fish, beans and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts.

From Science Daily