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colza

rapeseed

noun KOHL-sah Rare
Food & Drink Ingredients

Origin: From French colza, itself from Dutch koolzaad (cabbage seed).

Usage Note

Colza is the plant Brassica napus whose seeds are pressed to make canola oil; in Spanish the oil itself is called aceite de colza. The word gained tragic prominence in Spain after the 1981 toxic-oil syndrome caused by adulterated colza oil sold as cooking oil, so it carries a cautionary cultural resonance for older Spaniards. In Latin America canola is more common for the oil.

Examples

"El campo amarillo estaba lleno de colza en flor."

Natural Translation

The yellow field was full of rapeseed in bloom.

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