mustard
Americannoun
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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.
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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
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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
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a paste made from the powdered seeds of any of these plants and used as a condiment
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a brownish-yellow colour
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( as adjective )
a mustard carpet
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slang zest or enthusiasm
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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First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English mostard(e), mustart, from Old French mostarde, moustarde, a relish originally made of mustard seed and must, equivalent to moust + -arde; see origin at must 2, -ard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.
See Examples For:
Soft pieces of bread are drenched in a buttery mixture of Dijon mustard, brown sugar and Worcestershire before being baked into a golden, shareable centerpiece.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Each typically contains little plastic sachets of mustard and soy sauce.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
One user posted an image of an abandoned office space, with mustard yellow wallpaper and fluorescent lighting.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
The Order: The open-face bagel sandwich with whitefish salad, mustard, pickled peppers and dill combines classic flavors with contemporary style.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
If you’re out of luck, all you get is a jar full of cucumber and mustard sauce.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
The space and financial investment required is minor: in the study, the gardening took place in regular flower boxes, while the plants cultivated, such as peas, beans, mustards and salads, came from the shop shelf.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2024
If you've got lemons, garlic, fresh herbs, butter, honey and an interesting mix of oils, vinegars, mustards and the like, you've got the building blocks of limitless dishes.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2023
There are numerous kinds of wild mustards in California, but black mustard or Brassica nigra is considered among the most pervasive.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 15, 2023
Stone ground mustards bring great flavor and an appealing nubby texture, since some or all of the seeds are left intact or just slightly crushed.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
That evening the women brought bowls of pot liquor from black-eyed peas, from mustards, from cabbage, from kale, from collards, from turnips, from beets, from green beans.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
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.
