broccoli (English)

Where does "broccoli" come from?

The English word 'broccoli' comes from Italian 'broccoli'[1], which is the plural of 'broccolo' meaning 'cabbage sprout, head'[1]. This Italian term is a diminutive of 'brocco' meaning 'shoot, sprout'[1], derived from the Latin 'broccus' meaning 'pointed, sharp, projecting' or 'buck-toothed'[1][4]. The Latin word itself is possibly of Gaulish origin[1], potentially connected to Proto-Celtic roots such as '*brokkos' meaning 'badger' or '*brozdos' meaning 'tip, point'. The English noun is first attested in the year 1699[1].

Open questions

The Latin term broccus may have been borrowed from Gaulish, though the exact Celtic connections remain uncertain. [1] [3]

Full etymology tree

broccoli (English), 'A plant, Brassica oleracea var. italica, of the cabbage family, Brassicaceae; especially, the tree-shaped flower and stalk that are eaten as a vegetable.'
- borrowed broccoli (Italian), 'plural of broccolo'
  - derived broccolo (Italian), 'broccoli'
    - derived brocco (Italian), 'thorn, stick'
      - inherited broccus (Latin), 'A person having projecting teeth, a buck-toothed person'
        borrowed Gaulish (Gaulish)
        inherited *brokkos (Proto-Celtic), 'badger'
    - suffix -olo (Italian), 'used to form a diminutive of a masculine noun, indicating small size or youth'

Ancestors

broccoli (Italian)
broccus (Latin)
*brokkos (Proto-Celtic)

Cognates and doublets

brord (Old English)
bròg (Scottish Gaelic)
procio (Welsh)

Descendants and derived words

Aztec broccoli (English)
baby broccoli (English)
broccoflower (English)
broccoli cut (English)
broccoli hair (English)
broccoli haircut (English)
broccolilike (English)
broccolini (English)
broccoli raab (English)
broccoli rabe (English)
broccoli rape (English)
broccoloid (English)

Sources

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris