||Bras"si*ca (&?;), n. [L., cabbage.] (Bot.) A genus of plants embracing several species and varieties differing much in appearance and qualities: such as the common cabbage (B. oleracea), broccoli, cauliflowers, etc.; the wild turnip (B. campestris); the common turnip (B. rapa); the rape or coleseed (B. napus), etc.