Kale
/keɪl/noun
A leafy cabbage-like vegetable with curly or flat edible leaves.
Did you know?Kale’s name ultimately comes from a Germanic word for cabbage, and it’s a cousin of the same plant family that gave us words tied to head-shaped vegetables and old kitchen staples.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kalǭ
“cabbage, kale”
Old English
OE
cāl
“cabbage, cole”
Middle English
ME
cale
“cabbage, cole”
16th Century
English
kale
“a type of cabbage with curled leaves”
Modern English
English
kale
“a leafy cabbage-like vegetable”
Explore more surprising origins