English Reference

Word

cauliflower

Phoneticscau·li·flow·er

US/ˈkɑɫəˌfɫaʊɝ/

UK/kˈɒlɪflˌaʊɐ/

Definition

n. a large, round vegetable with a thick green stem and a white head made of small flower buds.

n. a cultivated variety of cabbage (Brassica oleracea) with a large, compact, edible head of undeveloped flower buds.

Examples

“I like to roast cauliflower with olive oil and salt.”

“The chef served a creamy soup made from roasted cauliflower and garlic.”

“While traditionally boiled, cauliflower has gained popularity as a low-carbohydrate substitute for rice or pizza crust in modern health-conscious cooking.”

Examples

simple

“I like to roast cauliflower with olive oil and salt.”

contextual

“The chef served a creamy soup made from roasted cauliflower and garlic.”

complex

“While traditionally boiled, cauliflower has gained popularity as a low-carbohydrate substitute for rice or pizza crust in modern health-conscious cooking.”

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the vegetable as food; countable when referring to the individual plant or head.

Etymology

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.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
A2 · Elementary
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/cauliflower

English Reference