kale

Etymology

From Northern Middle English cale, cal (Southern col), from Old English cāl, cāul, cāwel, from Latin caulis. Compare English cole, Icelandic kál (“cabbage”), German Kohl (“cabbage”). Doublet of caulis and gobi.

noun

1. An edible plant, similar to cabbage, with curled leaves that do not form a dense head (Brassica oleracea var. acephala)
2. Any of several cabbage-like food plants that are kinds of Brassica oleracea.
3. (cooking) Broth containing kale as a chief ingredient.
4. (dated, slang) Money.
   I’ll bet he takes nine-tenths of his kale from women and children, and he’s an honored citizen. 1921, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Efficiency Expert, HTML edition, The Gutenberg Project, published 2012