cauliflower [kaw -luh -flou-er, -lee-, kol -uh -, kol -ee-]
Examples Word Origin
a form of cultivated plant, Brassica oleracea botrytis, of the mustard family, whose inflorescence forms a compact, usually whitish head. Compare broccoli . this head, used as a vegetable. Show More
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
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for cauliflower Contemporary Examples of cauliflower Cauliflower is delicious, potatoes can be good, and I've been thinking about experimenting with bok choy stems.
Dip the cauliflower florets in the eggs and then fry them in a preheated pan.
This reviewer stuck dutifully to "Spring" and tried out the recipe for cauliflower gratin, with aged raw milk cheese.
Historical Examples of cauliflower If this is done, the cauliflower will darken and break into pieces.
Cut the cauliflower in four, and lay it for an hour in a pan of cold water.
Pour it over the cauliflower , and secure the jars closely from the air.
Boil some carrots, cauliflower , spinach, and celery (all cut up) in water.
Encircle this ragout with the fried cutlets, and crown with a cauliflower .
British Dictionary definitions for cauliflower a variety of cabbage, Brassica oleracea botrytis, having a large edible head of crowded white flowers on a very short thick stem the flower head of this plant, used as a vegetable Show More
Word Origin for cauliflower C16: from Italian caoli fiori, literally: cabbage flowers, from cavolo cabbage (from Latin caulis ) + fiore flower (from Latin flōs )
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for cauliflower n. 1590s, originally cole florye , from Italian cavoli fiori "flowered cabbage," plural of cavolo "cabbage" + fiore "flower" (from Latin flora ; see flora ).
First element is from Latin caulis "cabbage" (originally "stem, stalk") which was borrowed into Germanic and is the source of cole in cole-slaw and of Scottish kale . The front end of the word was re-Latinized from 18c.; the back end was influenced by flower (n.). The boxer's cauliflower ear is from 1907.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
