different between cauliflower vs fruitbat

English

Etymology

From 16th century cole-florye. Compare Latin caulis, French chou-fleur, Italian cavolfiore.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?k?l.i.fla?.?/, /?k?l.?.fla?.?/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?k?l.??fla?.?/, /?k?l.??fla?.?/

Noun

cauliflower (countable and uncountable, plural cauliflowers)

1. Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, an annual variety of cabbage, of which the cluster of young flower stalks and buds is eaten as a vegetable.
2. The edible head or curd of a cauliflower plant.
3. The swelling of a cauliflower ear.

Derived terms

• broccoflower
• cauliflower cheese
• cauliflower ear
• cauli
• caulini

Translations

Verb

cauliflower (third-person singular simple present cauliflowers, present participle cauliflowering, simple past and past participle cauliflowered)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To (cause to) swell up like a cauliflower ear.
   • 1947, Elliott Chaze, The Stainless Steel Kimono (page 49)

     I noticed his right ear was badly cauliflowered and that explained a number of things. It wasn't a new job of cauliflowering.

   • 1960, Transactions of the British Ceramic Society (page 281)

     Returning to your first point, the cauliflowering of magnesite bricks — we presume that this is due to your using high concentrations of oxygen for blowing the furnace, giving high checker-temperatures.

   • 1974, Alexander G. Weygers, The Modern Blacksmith (page 39)

     The soft steel of the back edge by now has cauliflowered over from hammering on it.

English

Noun

fruitbat (plural fruitbats)

1. Alternative spelling of fruit bat