Kailan
/ˈkaɪ.læn/noun
A leafy green vegetable also known as Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale.
Did you know?Kailan is the Cantonese name for a plant in the cabbage family, despite its poetic reference to mustard and orchids.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese
Old Chinese
*kˤraj-s *rˤa[n]
“The ancestral forms associated with 芥, “mustard,” and 蘭, “orchid.””
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
kaeH lan
“The pronunciations of 芥蘭, literally “mustard orchid.””
19th Century
Cantonese
gaai3 laan4
“The Cantonese name for Chinese broccoli, written 芥蘭.”
20th Century
English
kailan
“An English loanword for Chinese broccoli, especially in culinary and horticultural usage.”
Modern English
English
kailan
“A green vegetable with thick stems, leaves, and small flowering shoots.”
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