What does "cabbage" mean?
An edible plant (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) having a head of green leaves.
Cabbage
/ˈkæb.ɪd͡ʒ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An edible plant (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) having a head of green leaves.
- Grammar: cabbage is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: cabbage plant, abstract, annex, aubergine.
- Useful contrasts: poverty.
- Usage evidence: Can I have seconds on rice and cabbage?
How to use "cabbage"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cabbage" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cabbage" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cabbage" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cabbage" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cabbage" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "cabbage plant" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cabbage", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An edible plant (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) having a head of green leaves. countable, uncountable
"In aphrodisiac preparation, wild cabbage was frequently an ingredient."
- 2 Scraps of cloth which are left after a garment has been cut out, which tailors traditionally kept. slang, uncountable
- 3 any of various types of cabbage wordnet
- 4 An edible plant (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) having a head of green leaves.; Any of various cultivars of the species Brassica oleracea. broadly, countable, uncountable
- 5 any of various cultivars of the genus Brassica oleracea grown for their edible leaves or flowers wordnet
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 The leaves of this plant eaten as a vegetable. uncountable
"Cabbage is good for you."
- 7 informal terms for money wordnet
- 8 A person with severely reduced mental capacities due to brain damage. countable, offensive
"After the car crash, he became a cabbage."
- 9 Used as a term of endearment. countable, uncountable
"If you deceive me, Yasha, I don't know if my nerves could stand it. YASHA (kissing her) My little cabbage! Of course, a girl must know her place."
- 10 Money. slang, uncountable
- 11 Marijuana leaf, the part that is not smoked but from which cannabutter can be extracted. slang, uncountable
- 12 A terminal bud of certain palm trees, used for food. countable, uncountable
- 13 A cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto), a palm of the southeastern US coasts and nearby islands. countable, uncountable
- 14 A human head. countable, slang, uncountable
"American made choppas / You beefin', we split ya cabbage"
Verb
- 1 To form a head like that of the cabbage. intransitive
"to make lettuce cabbage"
- 2 To embezzle or purloin; to pilfer, to steal. transitive
"[Y]our Butler purloins your Liquor, and your Brevver ſells your Hogvvaſh; […] your Taylor, inſtead of Shreds, cabages vvhole Yards of Cloth; […]"
- 3 make off with belongings of others wordnet
- 4 To do nothing; to idle; veg out. intransitive, slang
"How effective the project was is a moot point, because there were never any studies carried out to see whether children benefited from cabbaging in front of the TV rather than interacting with a teacher."
- 5 To be killed or murdered, such as by being shot in the head. slang
Antonyms
Example
"Can I have seconds on rice and cabbage?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cabbage"?
Common synonyms include: cabbage plant, abstract, annex, aubergine, bean, beans.
How do you use "cabbage" in a sentence?
Can I have seconds on rice and cabbage?
How do you pronounce "cabbage"?
Pronounced /ˈkæb.ɪd͡ʒ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English caboche, cabage (“cabbage”; “a certain fish”), a borrowing from Anglo-Norman caboche (“head”), a northern variant of caboce, of uncertain origin. Some authorities derive it from Latin caput (“head”), others from ca- (said to be an expressive prefix) + boce (“hump; bump”) (whence English boss).
Etymology 2
Unclear. Perhaps from Dutch *kabbassen, from Old French cabasser (“put into a basket”), from cabas. Alternatively, perhaps from an earlier word *carbage (“shred”), a potential variant of *garbage (“wheat straw”).