What is "cabbage"

Cabbage \Cab"bage\ (k[a^]b"b[asl]j), n. [OE. cabage, fr. F. cabus headed (of cabbages), chou cabus headed cabbage, cabbage head; cf. It. capuccio a little head, cappuccio cowl, hood, cabbage, fr. capo head, L. caput, or fr. It. cappa cape. See Chief, Cape.] (Bot.)

1. An esculent vegetable of many varieties, derived from the wild Brassica oleracea of Europe. The common cabbage has a compact head of leaves. The cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, etc., are sometimes classed as cabbages.

2. The terminal bud of certain palm trees, used, like, cabbage, for food. See Cabbage tree, below.

3. The cabbage palmetto. See below. Cabbage aphis (Zo["o]l.), a green plant-louse ( Aphis brassic[ae]) which lives upon the leaves of the cabbage. Cabbage beetle (Zo["o]l.), a small, striped flea-beetle ( Phyllotreta vittata) which lives, in the larval state, on the roots, and when adult, on the leaves, of cabbage and other cruciferous plants. Cabbage fly (Zo["o]l.), a small two-winged fly ( Anthomyia brassic[ae]), which feeds, in the larval or maggot state, on the roots of the cabbage, often doing much damage to the crop. Cabbage head, the compact head formed by the leaves of a cabbage; -- contemptuously or humorously, and colloquially, a very stupid and silly person; a numskull. Cabbage palmetto, a species of palm tree ( Sabal Palmetto) found along the coast from North Carolina to Florida. Cabbage rose (Bot.), a species of rose ( Rosa centifolia) having large and heavy blossoms. Cabbage tree, Cabbage palm, a name given to palms having a terminal bud called a cabbage, as the Sabal Palmetto of the United States, and the Euterpe oleracea and Oreodoxa oleracea of the West Indies. Sea cabbage.(Bot.)

   1. Sea kale

   2. . The original Plant ( Brassica oleracea), from which the cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc., have been derived by cultivation.

      Thousand-headed cabbage. See Brussels sprouts.

Cabbage \Cab"bage\, v. i. To form a head like that the cabbage; as, to make lettuce cabbage.
--Johnson.

Cabbage \Cab"bage\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Cabbaged (-b[asl]jd); p. pr. & vb. n. Cabbaging (-b[asl]*j[i^]ng).] [F.cabasser, fr. OF. cabas theft; cf. F. cabas basket, and OF. cabuser to cheat.] To purloin or embezzle, as the pieces of cloth remaining after cutting out a garment; to pilfer.

Your tailor . . . cabbages whole yards of cloth.
--Arbuthnot.

Cabbage \Cab"bage\, n. Cloth or clippings cabbaged or purloined by one who cuts out garments.

mid-15c., caboge, from Middle French caboche "head" (in dialect, "cabbage"), from Old French caboce "head," a diminutive from Latin caput "head" (see capitulum). Introduced to Canada 1541 by Jacques Cartier on his third voyage. First written record of it in U.S. is 1660s.\n

\nThe decline of "ch" to "j" in the unaccented final syllable parallels the common pronunciation of spinach, sandwich, Greenwich, etc. The comparison of a head of cabbage to the head of a person (usually disparaging to the latter) is at least as old as Old French cabus "(head of) cabbage; nitwit, blockhead," from Italian cappuccio, diminutive of capo.

n. 1 An edible plant (''Brassica oleracea var. capitata'') having a head of green leaf. 2 (context uncountable English) The leaf of this plant eaten as a vegetable. 3 (context countable offensive English) A person with severely reduced mental capacities due to brain damage. 4 (non-gloss definition: Used as a term of endearment.) vb. 1 (context intransitive English) To form a head like that of the cabbage. 2 (context transitive English) To purloin or embezzle, as the pieces of cloth remaining after cutting out a garment; to pilfer.

1. n: any of various types of cabbage [syn: chou]

2. informal terms for money [syn: boodle, bread, clams, dinero, dough, gelt, kale, lettuce, lolly, lucre, loot, moolah, pelf, scratch, shekels, simoleons, sugar, wampum]

3. any of various cultivars of the genus Brassica oleracea grown for their edible leaves or flowers [syn: cultivated cabbage, Brassica oleracea]

v : make off with belongings of others [syn: pilfer, purloin, pinch, abstract, snarf, swipe, hook, sneak, filch, nobble, lift]

Cabbage or headed cabbage (comprising several cultivars of Brassica oleracea) is a leafy green or purple biennial plant, grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage, B. oleracea var. oleracea, and is closely related to broccoli and cauliflower (var. botrytis), brussels sprouts (var. gemmifera) and savoy cabbage (var. sabauda). Cabbage heads generally range from , and can be green, purple and white. Smooth-leafed firm-headed green cabbages are the most common, with smooth-leafed red and crinkle-leafed savoy cabbages of both colors seen more rarely. It is a multi-layered vegetable. Under conditions of long sunlit days such as are found at high northern latitudes in summer, cabbages can grow much larger. Some records are discussed at the end of the history section.

It is difficult to trace the exact history of cabbage, but it was most likely domesticated somewhere in Europe before 1000 BC, although savoys were not developed until the 16th century. By the Middle Ages, it had become a prominent part of European cuisine. Cabbage heads are generally picked during the first year of the plant's life cycle, but plants intended for seed are allowed to grow a second year, and must be kept separated from other cole crops to prevent cross-pollination. Cabbage is prone to several nutrient deficiencies, as well as to multiple pests, and bacterial and fungal diseases.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports that world production of cabbage and other brassicas for 2011 was almost 69 million metric tons (68 million long tons; 75 million short tons). Almost half of these crops were grown in China, where Chinese cabbage is the most popular Brassica vegetable. Cabbages are prepared in many different ways for eating. They can be pickled, fermented for dishes such as sauerkraut, steamed, stewed, sautéed, braised, or eaten raw. Cabbage is a good source of vitamin K, vitamin C and dietary fiber. Contaminated cabbage has been linked to cases of food-borne illness in humans.

Cabbage is the debut release from Japanese band Super Junky Monkey. It is a live recording, and was originally released by an indie label on CD in 1994, and then released as a video later that year. It features a number of songs which would later be recorded on their debut album, Screw Up.

It was recorded on December 16, 1993.

Cabbage is the eighth album by Celtic band Gaelic Storm. It was released on August 3, 2010, and reached #73 on the Billboard 200 on August 21, 2010.

Cabbage ( Chinese:小白菜) is a Chinese folk song that originated in Hebei province and has become popular all over Northern China

Cabbage is a canceled breeding simulator video game that was planned for release on the 64DD, an expansion of the Nintendo 64 console, in the late 1990s. Produced by a team of Nintendo's "biggest talents," consisting of Shigesato Itoi and Tsunekazu Ishihara, known for creating the Mother series and Pokémon series respectively, as well as Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario, Zelda and various other Nintendo staples, Cabbage fell off the radar in early 2000, but has influenced later Nintendo games such as Animal Crossing and Nintendogs.