wasabi
Americannoun
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an Asian plant, Eutrema wasabi, of the mustard family.
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the pungent, greenish root of this plant, which can be grated and used as a condiment.
noun
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a Japanese cruciferous plant, Eutrema Wasabi , cultivated for its thick green pungent root
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the root of this plant, esp in paste or powder form, used as a condiment in Japanese cookery
Etymology
Origin of wasabi
(< New Latin ) < Japanese
Explanation
The spicy, edible root called wasabi can be ground into an even spicier green paste that's served with many Japanese foods — and is also called wasabi. Watch out for the wasabi sitting innocently on the plate beside your sushi! It may look like a blob of avocado, but it tastes pungent and deeply spicy. The flavor and spice of wasabi is often compared to horseradish or spicy mustard; you don't feel the heat on your tongue so much as in the back of your nose. Sometimes the Japanese plant is unavailable and horseradish root is used instead — sushi chefs call this "Western Wasabi."
Vocabulary lists containing wasabi
World Cuisine - Introductory
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World Cuisine - Middle School and High School
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East Asia - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The wasabi sauce was sinus-clearing, with a generous portion of the black pearls gleaming on top.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025
Producers of wasabi and wine have described the challenges of growing their crops in increasingly wet and unpredictable weather.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2024
Cheftestant Soo's, inspired by a Korean corn dog, was a french-fry-battered hot dog with wasabi and jalapeño mayo.
From Salon ● May 8, 2024
The I.S.S. galley is often stocked with wasabi and hot sauce.
From New York Times ● Nov. 12, 2023
Raw fish can contain bacteria, and wasabi kills bacteria.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
