- a cultivated variety of cabbage, Brassica oleracea italica, having branched greenish flower heads
- the flower head of this plant, eaten as a vegetable before the buds have opened
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
broc•co•li /ˈbrɑkəli/USA pronunciation
n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Plant Biologya plant whose leafy stalks and clusters of usually green flower buds are eaten as a vegetable.
broc•co•li
(brok′ə lē, brok′lē),USA pronunciation n.
- Plant Biologya form of a cultivated cruciferous plant, Brassica oleracea botrytis, whose leafy stalks and clusters of usually green buds are eaten as a vegetable. Cf. cauliflower.
- Late Latin; see broach) + -olo diminutive suffix
- Italian, plural of broccolo, equivalent. to brocc(o) sprout (
- 1690–1700
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
broccoli /ˈbrɒkəlɪ/ n
'broccoli' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
calabrese
- spear
- brassica
- broccoli rabe
- cauliflower
- curd
- divan
- floret
- green vegetable
- Italian turnip
- mustard family
- raab
- ruvo kale
- turnip broccoli