Definition of "broccoli" []

• A vegetable (Brassica oleracea var. italica) in the mustard family, closely related to the cauliflower and having dense clusters of numerous green flower buds. (noun)
• The flower clusters of this plant, eaten as a vegetable before the flower buds open. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The word broccoli comes from the Latin broccolo, diminunitive of the term for a sprout."
• "The mushrooms are canned, and the broccoli is also frozen."
• "The broccoli is nearly there, and the collards need to be eaten before they become leather."