cauliflower
UK[ˈkɒl.ɪˌflaʊ.ər]US[ˈkɑː.lɪˌflaʊ.ər]
n
A variety of cabbage with a large, dense, white head of undeveloped flowers, eaten as a vegetable.
Morpheme Breakdown
cauli
flower
cauli
cabbage
flower
flower, blossom
Etymology
The word 'cauliflower' has a transparently descriptive origin, literally meaning 'cabbage flower'. It entered English in the late 16th century from Italian 'cavolfiore' (a variant of 'caolfiore'), which itself was a compound of Latin 'caulis' ('cabbage') and 'flōs, flōr-' ('flower'). The Latin 'caulis' can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root kaul-, meaning 'stalk', which also gave rise to words like 'cole' (as in cole-slaw) and 'kale'. The modern term perfectly captures the vegetable's botanical identity as the edible, flowering head of a particular cultivar of the cabbage species.
Analysis
Structure: cauli (cabbage) + flower
- cauli: From Latin 'caulis', meaning 'stem, stalk, cabbage'. In this compound, it denotes 'cabbage'.
- flower: From Middle English 'flour', meaning 'flower, blossom'. In this compound, it denotes the edible, flower-like head of the vegetable.
Examples
She roasted the cauliflower with olive oil and spices until it was golden brown.
For a low-carb alternative, some people use grated cauliflower to make pizza crust.
The recipe calls for one head of cauliflower, broken into small florets.