Kohlrabi
/ˌkoʊlˈrɑːbi/noun
A variety of cabbage grown for its swollen edible stem.
Did you know?Kohlrabi is a German compound built from two ordinary plant words, and its very name shows how everyday language can turn a food into a hybrid identity.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
German
Kohlrabi
“A cabbage-like turnip”
Middle High German
German
kohl
“Cabbage”
Middle High German
German
rüebe
“Turnip, beetroot-like root”
Latin
Latin
caulis
“Stem, stalk, cabbage”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kaul-
“Stem, stalk”