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• napa
  napa

  noun

  Chinese cabbage.
• Napa
  Napa

  noun

  a city in W California: center of wine-producing region.

napa

¹ American  

[nap-uh, nah-puh] / ˈnæp ə, ˈnɑ pə /

noun

1. Chinese cabbage.

2. nappa.

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Napa ² American  

[nap-uh] / ˈnæp ə /

noun

1. a city in W California: center of wine-producing region.

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Etymology

Origin of napa

First recorded in 1895–1900 napa for def. 2, and in 1935–40 napa for def. 1; of undetermined origin

Example Sentences

There’s also mille-feuille nabe, a Japanese hot pot dish that’s layered with napa cabbage and thin slices of pork belly simmered in dashi broth.

From Salon • Feb. 21, 2026

Shaved Brussels sprouts and fennel tossed with spinach and napa cabbage get tang from goat cheese, sweetness from caramelized onions and a nice gloss from walnut vinaigrette.

From Washington Post • Oct. 21, 2022

And then there are the prices: At the bodega around the corner, he said, napa cabbage goes for $3 a pound, when it is less than $1 at most Asian supermarkets.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2022

All bowls come with a beef ball, Spam, a stick of imitation crab, a chunk of corn on the cob, bean curd, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage and napa cabbage.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 27, 2021

My batch of napa cabbage sauerkraut took a good four weeks to reach a satisfying cure, but I considered the effort, my first, to be a success: Easy Fermenter, $33.99, nourishedessentials.com.

From New York Times • Sep. 18, 2017