cabbage

1 of 3

noun (1)

cab·​bage ˈka-bij How to pronounce cabbage (audio)
often attributive
1
a
: any of several brassicas (Brassica oleracea) of European origin
especially : a leafy garden plant (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) with a short stem and a dense globular head of usually green leaves that is used as a vegetable
b
: any of several plants related to or resembling cabbage
2
slang : money, cash
cabbagey adjective
or less commonly cabbagy

cabbage

2 of 3

noun (2)

: pieces of cloth left in cutting out garments and traditionally kept by tailors as perquisites

cabbage

3 of 3

verb

cabbaged; cabbaging

transitive verb

: steal, filch
They also cabbaged our bats, balls, and gloves.H. L. Mencken

Did you know?

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

Noun (1) he suddenly has a lot of cabbage for someone who's never done an honest day's work in his life
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Back in 2002, Martha Stewart made headlines for aggressively chopping a cabbage in an effort to avoid speaking of insider-trading allegations. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2024 Photo: Dani Benton The ingredients can change, but it is typically shredded cabbage held together with batter, cooked on a hot grill table or teppan. Dani Benton, Contributor, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2024 Types of microgreens include broccoli, red cabbage, cauliflower, radishes, beets, basil, parsley, and cilantro. Julie Marks, Verywell Health, 29 Oct. 2024 That night’s dinner was cabbage rolls, an Allrecipes number from a user going by Judy. Ruby Tandoh, The New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cabbage 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English caboche, from Middle French dialect (Norman & Picard), literally, head, noggin

Noun (2)

perhaps by folk etymology from Middle French cabas cheating, theft

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1663, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1691, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cabbage was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near cabbage

Cite this Entry

“Cabbage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cabbage. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

cabbage

noun
cab·​bage
ˈkab-ij
: a garden plant related to the turnips and mustards that has a round firm head of leaves used as a vegetable

More from Merriam-Webster on cabbage

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