cauliflower

CEFRB1

/ˈkɒl.i.flaʊ.ə/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A vegetable with a large white head of flowers.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    The edible head or curd of a cauliflower plant.

Examples

  • Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are all cultivars of the same species.

  • Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈkɒl.ɪ.flaʊ.ə/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The swelling of a cauliflower ear.

  2. Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, an annual variety of cabbage, of which the cluster of young flower stalks and buds is eaten as a vegetable.

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To (cause to) swell up like a cauliflower ear.

More examples

In context

  • His ears were small (fortunately so, given his dramatic hairstyle) and bore no traditional cauliflowers.

  • ASPARAGUS, cauliflowers, imperial Sileſia, royal and cabbage lettuces, burnet, purſlain, cucumbers, naſturtian flowers, peaſe and beans ſown in October, artichokes, ſcarlet ſtrawberries, and kidney beans.

  • I noticed his right ear was badly cauliflowered and that explained a number of things. It wasn't a new job of cauliflowering.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

She roasted a whole head of blank with garlic and olive oil.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From 16th century cole-florye, equivalent to cole (from Latin caulis) + flower, reformed to more closely match the Latin etymon. Cognate with French chou-fleur, Italian cavolfiore.