noun 1 : a plant (Brassica oleracea gemmifera) related to the cabbage and cauliflower that is cultivated for its edible small roundish green buds which are borne on its stem and resemble miniature cabbages 2 : any of the edible green buds that are borne on the stems of brussels sprouts, consist of tightly overlapping immature leaves, and are typically cooked as a vegetable
This word can be styled with either a lowercase or capital B, but Brussels sprouts links this word clearly to the capital of Belgium, a country in which these formerly typically abused (by boiling) and currently often glorified (by deep-frying) darlings of the culinary world were possibly grown as early as 1200. The first recorded description of brussels sprouts dates to 1587, but English speakers didn't say much of anything about them, that we can tell, until the late 18th century. This surely would have been otherwise if the deep fryer had been invented sooner (which of course is true of so many things).