cabbage: [14] The shape of a cabbage, reminiscent of someone’s head, led to its being named in Old French caboce, which meant literally ‘head’. English acquired the word via the Old Northern French variant caboche (whose modern French descendant caboche, in the sense ‘head’, is said to provide the basis for Boche, the contemptuous term for ‘Germans’).
It is not known where it comes from ultimately; etymologists used to link it with Latin caput ‘head’, but that theory is no longer generally accepted. The Old English word for ‘cabbage’ was cāwel, which remains with us in the form of various Germanic relatives such as kohl-rabi, cauliflower, and Scottish kale.
cabbage (n.)
mid-15c., caboge, from Middle French caboche "head" (in dialect, "cabbage"), from Old French caboce "head," a diminutive from Latin caput "head" (see capitulum). Introduced to Canada 1541 by Jacques Cartier on his third voyage. First written record of it in U.S. is 1660s.
The decline of "ch" to "j" in the unaccented final syllable parallels the common pronunciation of spinach, sandwich, Greenwich, etc. The comparison of a head of cabbage to the head of a person (usually disparaging to the latter) is at least as old as Old French cabus "(head of) cabbage; nitwit, blockhead," from Italian cappuccio, diminutive of capo.
双语例句
1. They ate a mash of 2 potatoes, 2 carrots & cabbage.
他们吃了由两个土豆、两根胡萝卜和洋白菜做的糊。
来自柯林斯例句
2. "It's corned beef and cabbage," said Malone. "Yuk," said Maureen.
“这是咸牛肉配卷心菜。”马隆说。“呃，”莫琳表示反感地说了一声。
来自柯林斯例句
3. Cut the cabbage into fine long shreds.
将卷心菜切成又细又长的丝。
来自柯林斯例句
4. Finely shred the carrots, cabbage and cored apples.
将胡萝卜、卷心菜切成细丝并给苹果去核。
来自柯林斯例句
5. Plant out the spring cabbage whenever opportunities arise.
