cabbage

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)
• HYPHEN: cab=bage

CIDE DICTIONARY

cabbage, 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.].

•  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.  [1913 Webster]
•  The terminal bud of certain palm trees, used, like, cabbage, for food. See Cabbage tree, below.  [1913 Webster]
•  The cabbage palmetto. See below.  [1913 Webster]

Cabbage aphis (Zoöl.), a green plant-louse (Aphis brassicæ) which lives upon the leaves of the cabbage. -- Cabbage beetle (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), a small two-winged fly (Anthomyia brassicæ), 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.) (a) Sea kale (b). The original Plant (Brassica oleracea), from which the cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc., have been derived by cultivation. -- Thousand-headed cabbage. See Brussels sprouts.

cabbage, v. i. 

 To form a head like that the cabbage; as, to make lettuce cabbage.  Johnson.  [1913 Webster]

cabbage, v. i. [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.  [1913 Webster]
"Your tailor . . . cabbages whole yards of cloth."  [1913 Webster]

cabbage, n. 

 Cloth or clippings cabbaged or purloined by one who cuts out garments.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

cabbage, n.
1 a any of several cultivated varieties of Brassica oleracea, with thick green or purple leaves forming a round heart or head. b this head usu. eaten as vegetable.
2 colloq. derog. a person who is inactive or lacks interest.

Idiom

cabbage palm a palm tree, Cordyline australis, with edible cabbage-like terminal buds. cabbage rose a double rose with a large round compact flower. cabbage tree = cabbage palm. cabbage white a butterfly, Pieris brassicae, whose caterpillars feed on cabbage leaves.

Derivative

cabbagy adj.

Etymology

earlier cabache, -oche f. OF (Picard) caboche head, OF caboce, of unkn. orig.

DEVIL DICTIONARY

cabbage

n. A familiar kitchen-garden vegetable about as large and wise as a man's head.
The cabbage is so called from Cabagius, a prince who on ascending the throne issued a decree appointing a High Council of Empire consisting of the members of his predecessor's Ministry and the cabbages in the royal garden. When any of his Majesty's measures of state policy miscarried conspicuously it was gravely announced that several members of the High Council had been beheaded, and his murmuring subjects were appeased.

THESAURUS

cabbage

Irish potato, Kraut, aubergine, beans, blunt, boodle, brass, bread, bucks, chips, dinero, dough, eggplant, gelt, gilt, grease, green, green stuff, greens, jack, kale, legumes, love apple, mad apple, mazuma, moolah, mopus, oil of palms, ointment, oof, ooftish, pieplant, potato, potherbs, produce, rhino, rhubarb, rocks, shekels, simoleons, spondulics, spud, sugar, tater, the needful, tin, tomato, vegetables, wampum, white potato

ROGET THESAURUS

cabbage

Stealing

VB steal, thieve, rob, mug, purloin, pilfer, filch, prig, bag, nim, crib, cabbage, palm, abstract, appropriate, plagiarize, convey away, carry off, abduct, kidnap, crimp, make off with, walk off with, run off with, run away with, spirit away, seize, plunder, pillage, rifle, sack, loot, ransack, spoil, spoliate, despoil, strip, sweep, gut, forage, levy blackmail, pirate, pickeer, maraud, lift cattle, poach, smuggle, run, badger, bail up, hold up, stick up, bunco, bunko, filibuster, swindle, peculate, embezzle, sponge, mulct, rook, bilk, pluck, pigeon, fleece, defraud, obtain under false pretenses, live by one's wits, rob Peter to pay Paul, borrow of Peter to pay Paul, set a thief to catch a thief, disregard the distinction between meum and tuum, fence, launder, launder money.

Money

N money, legal tender, money matters, money market, finance, accounts, funds, treasure, capital, stock, assets, wealth, supplies, ways and means, wherewithal, sinews of war, almighty dollar, needful, cash, mammon, dough, cabbage, money-like instruments, M, M, sum, amount, balance, balance sheet, sum total, proceeds, currency, circulating medium, specie, coin, piece, hard cash, cold cash, dollar, sterling coin, pounds shillings and pence, Ls, d, pocket, breeches pocket, purse, money in hand, cash at hand, ready money, ready cash, slug, wad wad of bills, wad of money, thick wad of bills, roll of dough, rhino, blunt, dust, mopus, tin, salt, chink, argent comptant, bottom dollar, buzzard dollar, checks, dibs, double eagle, eagle, Federal currency, fractional currency, postal currency, Federal Reserve Note, United States Note, silver certificate, gold certificate, long bit, short bit, moss, nickel, pile, pin money, quarter, red cent, roanoke, rock, seawan, seawant, thousand dollars, grand, single, one-dollar bill, two- dollar bill, five-dollar bill, fiver, fin, Lincoln, ten-dollar bill, sawbuck, twenty-dollar bill, Jackson, double sawbuck, fifty-dollar bill, hundred-dollar bill, C-note, penny, cent, Lincoln cent, indian head penny, copper, two-cent piece three-cent piece, half- dime, nickel, buffalo nickel, V nickel, dime, disme, mercury dime, quarter, two bits, half dollar, dollar, silver dollar, Eisenhower dollar, Susan B, Anthony dollar, precious metals, gold, silver, copper, bullion, ingot, nugget, petty cash, pocket money, change, small change, small coin, doit, stiver, rap, mite, farthing, sou, penny, shilling, tester, groat, guinea, rouleau, wampum, good sum, round sum, lump sum, power of money, plum, lac of rupees, major coin, crown, minor coin, monetarist, monetary theory, numismatics, chrysology, numismatist, paper money, greenback, major denomination, minor denomination, money order, postal money order, Post Office order, bank note, bond, bill, bill of exchange, order, warrant, coupon, debenture, exchequer bill, assignat, blueback, hundi, shinplaster, note, note of hand, promissory note, I O U, draft, check, cheque, back-dated check, negotiable order of withdrawal, NOW, remittance, credit, liability, drawer, drawee, obligor, obligee, moneyer, coiner, false money, bad money, base coin, flash note, slip, kite, fancy stocks, Bank of Elegance, argumentum ad crumenam, letter of credit, circulation, multiplier effect, inflation, double-digit inflation, hyperinflation, erosion of the currency, debasement of the currency, deflation, stagflation, exchange rate, rate of exchange, floating exchange rates, fixed rates, currency counter, currency exchange, bureau de change, gold-backed currency, gold standard, silver standard, bank account, savings account, checking account, money market account, NOW account, time deposit, deposit, demand deposit, super NOW account, certificate of deposit, CD, $, US$, Y, A$, Federal Reserve Bank, central bank, Federal Reserve Board, board of governors of the Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, Secret Service, mint, bureau of engraving, seigniorage, counterfeit, funny money, bogus money, (falsehood), interest, interest rate, discount rate, monetary, pecuniary, crumenal, fiscal, financial, sumptuary, numismatic, numismatical, sterling, nummary, barbarus ipse placet dummodo sit dives, but the jingling of the guinea helps the hurt that, Gelt regiert die Welt, money rules the world, money makes the world go round, nervos belli pecuniam infinitam, redet Geld so schweigt die Welt, money is the mother's milk of politics, money is the root of all evil, money isn't everything, as phony as a three-dollar bill, don't take any wooden nickels.