Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

cress

American  
[kres] / krɛs /

noun

  1. any of various plants of the mustard family, especially the watercress, having pungent-tasting leaves often used for salad and as a garnish.

  2. any of various similar plants.


cress British  
/ krɛs /

noun

  1. any of various plants of the genera Lepidium , Cardamine , Arabis , etc, having pungent-tasting leaves often used in salads and as a garnish: family Brassicaceae (crucifers) See also watercress garden cress

"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 Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of cress

before 900; Middle English cresse, Old English cress ( a ), cresse; cognate with Dutch kers, German Kresse

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.

See Examples For:

Eventually I want to do the cress full time, but this way I’ve been able to ease my way in, without taking on too much of a financial gamble.”

From BBC Oct. 26, 2024

To better understand the molecular pathways that allow ABA to increase, the research team analyzed public RNA sequencing data on thale cress, or Arabidopsis thaliana.

From Science Daily Apr. 11, 2024

Many of us germinated cress seeds on a bit of wet tissue at primary school, giving us a first introduction to edible microgreens.

From Salon Sep. 7, 2023

To compare, the researchers also planted thale cress seeds in ash from volcanoes – a sort of fake lunar soil.

From NewsForKids.net May 24, 2022

Beyond it, between weeds and water, Aunt Maud herself was stretched out in a bed of cress.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training