mustard
Americannoun
-
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.
-
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
noun
-
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
-
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
-
-
slang zest or enthusiasm
-
slang to come up to expectations
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mustard
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English mostard(e), mustart, from Old French mostarde, moustarde, a relish originally made of mustard seed and must, equivalent to moust + -arde; see origin at must 2, -ard
Explanation
Mustard is the yellow sauce people commonly use to spice up their hotdogs. Whether it's ballpark mustard or fancy Grey Poupon, it's a condiment made from the ground seeds of the mustard plant. Mustard comes in several different forms, including the bright yellow kind in a packet at your favorite fast food restaurant and the brownish, slightly coarse mustard that comes in a fancy jar labeled "Dijon." All of these mustards are made from mustard seeds and spices, often mixed with lemon juice and salt. The plant that grows these seeds also produces edible leaves called "mustard greens."
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 rest of the year, he’s shipping smoked meats, cheeses, Oscar’s famous More Than Mustard and other favorites all over the country, with the run-up to the holidays particularly fierce.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025
It comes with rye bread, sliced Emmental cheese, coleslaw, Russian dressing and Raye’s Cranberry Mustard.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025
He has since won the Mustard Yellow Belt consistently every year, until 2015, when he lost his eight-year winning streak to Matt Stonie.
From Salon • Jul. 2, 2025
Like DJ Mustard, he grew up with me going there and he’d DJ sometimes.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2025
Mustard always makes my lips bum, but I didn’t care.
From "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead
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.
