mustard

[ muhs-terd ]
See synonyms for mustard on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a pungent powder or paste prepared from the seeds of certain mustard plants, used as a food seasoning or condiment, and medicinally in plasters, poultices, etc.

  2. Botany. any of various cruciferous plants of the mustard family, noted for their acrid and pungent qualities and widely cultivated for culinary and agricultural purposes: among the most commercially important mustards are black mustard, brown mustard, and white mustard.

Idioms about mustard

  1. cut the mustard, Slang. to reach or surpass the desired standard of performance: a pitcher who cuts the mustard with his fastball.

Origin of mustard

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English mostard(e), mustart, from Old French mostarde, moustarde, a relish originally made of mustard seed and must, equivalent to moust + -arde; see origin at must2, -ard

Words that may be confused with mustard

Words Nearby mustard

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use mustard in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mustard

mustard

/ (ˈmʌstəd) /


noun
  1. any of several Eurasian plants of the genus Brassica, esp black mustard and white mustard, having yellow or white flowers and slender pods and cultivated for their pungent seeds: family Brassicaceae (crucifers): See also charlock

  2. a paste made from the powdered seeds of any of these plants and used as a condiment

    • a brownish-yellow colour

    • (as adjective): a mustard carpet

  1. slang, mainly US zest or enthusiasm

  2. cut the mustard slang to come up to expectations

Origin of mustard

1
C13: from Old French moustarde, from Latin mustum must ², since the original condiment was made by adding must

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with mustard

mustard

see cut the mustard.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.