cruciferous

American  

[kroo-sif-er-uhs] / kruˈsɪf ər əs /

adjective

1. bearing a cross.

2. Botany. belonging to the family Cruciferae (or Brassicaceae), the mustard family of plants; brassicaceous.

   Are you getting enough broccoli, cauliflower, and other cruciferous vegetables in your diet?

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cruciferous British  

/ kruːˈsɪfərəs /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the plant family Cruciferae See crucifer

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Etymology

Origin of cruciferous

From Late Latin crucifer + -ous; cruciferous def. 1 was first recorded in 1650–60; cruciferous def. 2 in 1850–55; see origin at crucifer, -ous

Example Sentences

The broccoli rabe was turned into a kind of cruciferous pesto.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

In this case, if you look at all of the observational research on cruciferous vegetables and colon cancer, it appears that people who eat more of the veggies have less cancer.

From Slate • Sep. 5, 2025

It is nutrient-packed, like the rest of its cruciferous brethren, yet it has not always garnered the same respect as cauliflower, Brussels spouts or even broccoli.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2024

Building upon their previous work, where the research team demonstrated the abundance of polysulfide molecules in cruciferous vegetables.

From Science Daily • Oct. 24, 2023

The name was originally given in Italy to plants of the pink tribe, especially the carnation, but has in England been transferred of late years to several cruciferous plants.”

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 1 "Gichtel, Johann" to "Glory" by Various