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cauliflower

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

noun

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.

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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

Words nearby cauliflower

cauldron, caulescent, Caulfield, caulicle, cauliflory, cauliflower, cauliflower cheese, cauliflower ear, cauliflowerette, cauliflower fungus, cauline
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for cauliflower

British Dictionary definitions for cauliflower

cauliflower
/ (ˈkɒlɪˌflaʊə) /

noun

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

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012