Brussels sprout

or brus·sels sprout

[ bruhs-uhlz sprout ]

noun

1. Botany. a cruciferous plant, Brassica oleracea gemmifera, having small, cabbagelike heads or buds along the stalk that are eaten as a vegetable:

   The Brussels sprout is a cool-season crop.

   Brussels sprouts were introduced to California agriculture around 1920.

2. Usually Brus·sels sprouts. any of the heads or buds, eaten as a vegetable:

   When preparing a medley of roasted vegetables, don’t forget the Brussels sprouts.

Brussels sprout

noun

1. a variety of cabbage, Brassica oleracea gemmifera , having a stout stem studded with budlike heads of tightly folded leaves, resembling tiny cabbages
2. the head of this plant, eaten as a vegetable

Word History and Origins

Origin of Brussels sprout¹

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

“So in my classes,” Selegut explains, “I would have a still life of the hirsute burdock root with one Cyclops googly eye, the fractal romanesco with one big and one small googly eye, and a Brussels sprout …” Here, Selengut and I digressed into an excited discussion of how romanesco, the broccoli-and-cauliflower relative with the pointy chartreuse-colored lobes of repeating cosmic patterns, is definitely tripping, and that if you think this one’s unattractive, you definitely need your consciousness altered.

From Seattle Times

Trim the base of each Brussels sprout.

From Washington Times

Didn’t it used to be that yuppie liberals that were the ones going on about the greatness of gas stoves, as the only way to cook caramelized fennel Brussels sprout dingdongs?

From Slate

But the price of every item on our list - except for the divisive Brussels sprout - has increased at more than the rate of inflation, which reached 11.1% in October.

From BBC

The filling comprises a combination of butternut squash, ricotta, and nutty brown butter; a plate of the tortelli gets tossed with roasted Brussels sprout wedges.

From Salon