cress

[ kres ]

/ krɛs /

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noun

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

any of various similar plants.

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Origin of cress

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

OTHER WORDS FROM cress

cressy, adjective

Words nearby cress

crescit eundo, crescive, Creslan, cresol, cresol red, cress, Cressent, cresset, Cressida, Cressy, crest

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use cress in a sentence

This romantic little creature took such hold of my imagination that I cannot eat water-cress even now without emotion.
Margaret Ogilvy|J. M. Barrie
But as long as we have people like young Cress or Hodge or Rottke—well, it's hard to do anything with them.
What Rough Beast?|Jefferson Highe
He crowned himself and Jim with wreaths made of water cress that he found on a tiny sandy beach.
Still Jim|Honor Willsie Morrow
Then there is a salmon salad encircled by water cress or nasturtium leaves, and at intervals, dainty mounds of potato salad.
Suppers|Paul Pierce

A few varieties, however, are cultivated, and these are grown in dry soil and known as upland cress.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2|Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences

British Dictionary definitions for cress

cress

/ (krɛs) /

noun

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

Word Origin for cress

Old English cressa; related to Old High German cresso cress, kresan to crawl

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