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nasturtium

[ na-stur-shuhm, nuh- ]
/ næˈstɜr ʃəm, nə- /
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noun

any plant of the genus Tropaeolum, cultivated for its showy, usually orange, red, or yellow flowers or for its fruit, which is pickled and used like capers.

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Origin of nasturtium

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin nāsturtium, nāsturcium the name of a kind of cress, taken to mean, perhaps by Latin folk etymology, “something that twists the nose” (referring to its acrid smell), from Latin nāsus nose + tormentum (derivative of torquēre “to twist”) torment + -ium

Words nearby nasturtium

Nasse's law, Nast, Nastase, nastic, nastic movement, nasturtium, nasty, nasus, nasute, NAS/UWT, Nat
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

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British Dictionary definitions for nasturtium

nasturtium
/ (nəˈstɜːʃəm) /

noun

any of various plants of the genus Tropaeolum, esp T. major, having round leaves and yellow, red, or orange trumpet-shaped spurred flowers: family Tropaeolaceae

Word Origin for nasturtium

C17: from Latin: kind of cress, from nāsus nose + tortus twisted, from torquēre to twist, distort; so called because the pungent smell causes one to wrinkle one's nose
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
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