Broccoli Rabe
/ˈbrɑːkəli reɪb/noun
A leafy green vegetable with slender stems, leaves, and small broccoli-like florets, also called rapini.
Did you know?“Rabe” comes from Italian rapa, meaning “turnip,” because broccoli rabe belongs to the turnip family rather than being simply an immature form of broccoli.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wréh₂p-
“A reconstructed root associated with turnips or root vegetables.”
Classical Latin
Latin
rāpa
“Turnip; a cultivated root vegetable.”
Medieval Italian
Italian
rapa
“Turnip; the source of the vegetable name rabe/rapini.”
16th Century
Italian
broccolo
“A small sprout or flowering shoot, diminutive of brocco, “projecting shoot.””
17th–18th Century
Italian-English
broccoli
“The plural or anglicized form of Italian broccolo, referring to edible flowering shoots.”
20th Century
English
broccoli rabe
“The English market name for the leafy vegetable also known as rapini, combining broccoli with the Italian-derived turnip term.”