# broccoli

Pronunciation: say "BRO-kuh-lee" US /ˈbɹɑ.kə.li/, UK /ˈbɹɒ.kə.li/; AUS say "BRAW-kuh-lee" /ˈbɹɔ.kə.liː/

## Noun

1. A plant of the cabbage family whose tree-shaped green flower heads and thick stalk are eaten as a vegetable.
   - Simple: A green vegetable with a thick stalk and bushy, tree-shaped tops that you can cook and eat.
   - _The farmer planted rows of broccoli in the cool early spring._
   - _He roasted the broccoli with olive oil, garlic, and a squeeze of lemon._
2. A slang name for marijuana, used especially in the United States. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: A slang name for marijuana, the dried plant that people smoke to get high.
   - _The dealer sold him an ounce of broccoli down by the docks._
   - _Cops found a stash of broccoli hidden in the trunk of the car._

## Noun

3. Plural of broccolo. *(rare)* — plural of broccolo
   - Simple: Plural of broccolo. It is rare, and people usually say heads of broccoli instead.

## Origin

First recorded in 1699, from Italian broccoli, the plural of broccolo ("cabbage sprout, head"), a diminutive of brocco ("shoot, sprout"). This goes back to Latin broccus ("pointed, sharp, projecting"), possibly of Gaulish origin and related to Proto-Celtic roots meaning "badger" or "tip, point."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/broccoli (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).