From 16th century cole-florye, equivalent to cole (from Latin caulis) + flower, reformed to more closely match the Latin etymon. Cognate with French chou-fleur, Italian cavolfiore.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒl.i.flaʊ.ə/, /ˈkɒl.ɪ.flaʊ.ə/

• Audio (General Australian):

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• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkɔl.ɪˌflaʊ.ɚ/, /ˈkɑl.ɪˌflaʊ.ɚ/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (US, cot–caught merger):

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cauliflower (countable and uncountable, plural cauliflowers)

1. Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, an annual variety of cabbage, of which the cluster of young flower stalks and buds is eaten as a vegetable.
   • 1767, A Lady [Hannah Glasse], The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Eaſy[…]‎^[1], page 326:

     ASPARAGUS, cauliflowers, imperial Sileſia, royal and cabbage lettuces, burnet, purſlain, cucumbers, naſturtian flowers, peaſe and beans ſown in October, artichokes, ſcarlet ſtrawberries, and kidney beans.

2. The edible head or curd of a cauliflower plant.
3. The swelling of a cauliflower ear.
   • 2018, John Harding, The Whitechapel Whirlwind: The Jack Kid Berg Story:

     His ears were small (fortunately so, given his dramatic hairstyle) and bore no traditional cauliflowers.

• → Japanese: カリフラワー (karifurawā)

cauliflower (third-person singular simple present cauliflowers, present participle cauliflowering, simple past and past participle cauliflowered)

1. (ambitransitive) To (cause to) swell up like a cauliflower ear.
   • 1947, Elliott Chaze, The Stainless Steel Kimono, page 49:

     I noticed his right ear was badly cauliflowered and that explained a number of things. It wasn't a new job of cauliflowering.

   • 1960, Transactions of the British Ceramic Society, page 281:

     Returning to your first point, the cauliflowering of magnesite bricks — we presume that this is due to your using high concentrations of oxygen for blowing the furnace, giving high checker-temperatures.

   • 1974, Alexander G. Weygers, The Modern Blacksmith, page 39:

     The soft steel of the back edge by now has cauliflowered over from hammering on it.