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Cabbage, Not the Vegetable
Does the "filching" meaning of cabbage bring to mind an image of thieves sneaking out of farm fields with armloads of pilfered produce? If so, you're in for a surprise. This use has nothing to do with the leafy vegetable. It originally referred to the practice among tailors of pocketing part of the cloth given to them to make garments. The verb was cut from the same cloth as an older British noun cabbage, which meant "pieces of cloth left in cutting out garments and traditionally kept by tailors as perquisites." Both of those ethically questionable cabbages probably derived from cabas, the Middle French word for "cheating or theft." The cabbage found in coleslaw, on the other hand, comes from Middle English caboche, which meant "head."
Examples of cabbage in a Sentence
Françoise Mouly, New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2025
For a touch of sweetness, tomatoes balance out the salty olive mix, while the cabbage soaks up every last drop of flavor.
—Pableaux Johnson, Southern Living, 25 Nov. 2025
Lili Gattyán likes to balance proteins like chicken and tofu with different vegetables like kimchi, purple cabbage, and artichokes and healthy fats like avocados.
—Audrey Noble, Vogue, 24 Nov. 2025
Add celery and cabbage, season lightly with salt and cook, toss frequently, just until celery is browned in some spots but still crunchy — and the cabbage is tender but still has some bite to it, about 4 minutes.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cabbage
Cite this Entry
“Cabbage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cabbage. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.
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