/ ˈkɒliflaʊə(r); NAmE ˈkɔːli-; ˈkɑːli-/ noun
[ U , C ] a vegetable with green leaves around a large hard white head of flowers :
Do you like cauliflower?
two cauliflowers
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WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent.: from obsolete French chou fleuri flowered cabbage, probably from Italian cavolfiore or modern Latin cauliflora . The original English form colieflorie or cole-flory had its first element influenced by cole , the brassica type of plant, to which it belongs; the second element was influenced by flower during the 17th cent.