kale

or kail

[keyl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR kale ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Also called borecole. a cabbagelike cultivated plant, Brassica oleracea acephala, of the mustard family, having curled or wrinkled leaves: used as a vegetable.

Scot. cabbage.

Slang. money.

Origin of kale

1250–1300; Middle English cale, northern variant of cole

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for kale

cabbage, cole, collard, colewort

Examples from the Web for kale

Contemporary Examples of kale

Some varieties of kale grow to a height of six or seven feet.
My Coffee Klatch With Rand Paul
P. J. O’Rourke
September 27, 2014
By all means, go pay $13 for a kale salad or spend $30 for a few slices of Iberico ham.
The Cupcake Boom’s Sugar High Finally Crashes
Daniel Gross
July 8, 2014
Whether it comes in the form of liquids, protein shakes, chocolate bars, or leafs of kale, food is energy.
Will Food Waste Power Your Home?
The Daily Beast
June 16, 2014
Nancy retreats to her own kitchen briefly, quickly eating a meal of kale and eggs before getting back to her friends.
The Gluten-Free Diet Has Two Faces
Andrea Powell
May 6, 2014
At the checkout, her total for bananas, arugula, blackberries, kale, yogurt, rice noodles, and tofu comes to $34.21.
The Gluten-Free Diet Has Two Faces
Andrea Powell
May 6, 2014

Historical Examples of kale

"Why, he copped the copper's kale," Aggie translated, glibly.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
Groping about they pull up first stalk of kale or head of cabbage.
Games For All Occasions
Mary E. Blain
"Pullin' down the kale by the double handsful, mind you," says Hunk.
Shorty McCabe on the Job
Sewell Ford
And a husband with kale—that's what a girl like you really wants.
Find the Woman
Arthur Somers Roche
But the girls that look out for the kale, that never asked, 'What?'
Find the Woman
Arthur Somers Roche

British Dictionary definitions for kale

kale

kail

noun

a cultivated variety of cabbage, Brassica oleracea acephala, with crinkled leaves: used as a potherbSee also collard

Scot a cabbage

US slang money

Compare (for senses 1, 2): sea kale

Word Origin for kale

Old English cāl; see cole

kale

noun

Northern English dialect a queue

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

Word Origin and History for kale

also kail, c.1300, alternative form of cawul (c.1200), surviving in this spelling after Middle English as a Scottish variant of cole "cabbage" (see cole-slaw). Slang meaning "money" is from 1902.