Cabbage

n. [ OE. cabage, fr. F. cabus headed (of cabbages), chou cabus headed cabbage, cabbage head; cf. It. capuccio a little head, cappuccio cowl, hood, cabbage, fr. capo head, L. caput, or fr. It. cappa cape. See Chief, Cape. ] (Bot.) 1. An esculent vegetable of many varieties, derived from the wild Brassica oleracea of Europe. The common cabbage has a compact head of leaves. The cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, etc., are sometimes classed as cabbages. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The terminal bud of certain palm trees, used, like, cabbage, for food. See Cabbage tree, below. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The cabbage palmetto. See below. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cabbage aphis (Zoöl.), a green plant-louse (Aphis brassicæ) which lives upon the leaves of the cabbage. --
Cabbage beetle (Zoöl.), a small, striped flea-beetle (Phyllotreta vittata) which lives, in the larval state, on the roots, and when adult, on the leaves, of cabbage and other cruciferous plants. --
Cabbage fly (Zoöl.), a small two-winged fly (Anthomyia brassicæ), which feeds, in the larval or maggot state, on the roots of the cabbage, often doing much damage to the crop. --
Cabbage head, the compact head formed by the leaves of a cabbage; -- contemptuously or humorously, and colloquially, a very stupid and silly person; a numskull. --
Cabbage palmetto, a species of palm tree (Sabal Palmetto) found along the coast from North Carolina to Florida. --
Cabbage rose (Bot.), a species of rose (Rosa centifolia) having large and heavy blossoms. --
Cabbage tree,
Cabbage palm, a name given to palms having a terminal bud called a cabbage, as the Sabal Palmetto of the United States, and the Euterpe oleracea and Oreodoxa oleracea of the West Indies. --
Sea cabbage.(Bot.) (a) Sea kale (b). The original Plant (Brassica oleracea), from which the cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc., have been derived by cultivation. --
Thousand-headed cabbage. See Brussels sprouts. [ 1913 Webster ]