cauliflower
/ˈkɔl.ɪˌflaʊ.ɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.20 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, an annual variety of cabbage, of which the cluster of young flower stalks and buds is eaten as a vegetable.
Countable; Uncountable
verb
To (cause to) swell up like a cauliflower ear.
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "His ears were small (fortunately so, given his dramatic hairstyle) and bore no traditional cauliflowers."
- "I noticed his right ear was badly cauliflowered and that explained a number of things. It wasn't a new job of cauliflowering."
- "Returning to your first point, the cauliflowering of magnesite bricks — we presume that this is due to your using high concentrations of oxygen for blowing the furnace, giving high checker-temperatures."
- "The soft steel of the back edge by now has cauliflowered over from hammering on it."
Etymology
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkɔl.ɪˌflaʊ.ɚ/
- British English: /ˈkɒl.i.flaʊ.ə/