Etymology Map
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Cabbage

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a vegetable with thick green or purple leaves forming a round head

Where does the word "cabbage" come from? It comes from Latin caput, passing through Old North French before entering English (1400s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
caput
Latin · ancient
"head"
the same root as 'captain' and 'capital'
2
Stage 2 of 3
caboche
Old North French · medieval
"head"
a playful dialect word for a head, applied to the round, head-like vegetable
3
Stage 3 of 3
cabbage
English · 1400s
"a leafy vegetable with a dense head"
took over from the older word 'cole', which survives in 'coleslaw' and 'kale'
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Read the full story

Cabbage’s story begins in Latin: caput meant “head.” The same root as 'captain' and 'capital'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old North French as caboche. A playful dialect word for a head, applied to the round, head-like vegetable. It reached English by 1400s as cabbage. Took over from the older word 'cole', which survives in 'coleslaw' and 'kale'. Today, cabbage means a vegetable with thick green or purple leaves forming a round head.