mustard

[muhs-terd] /ˈmʌs tərd/

noun

a pungent powder or paste prepared from the seed of the mustard plant, used as a food seasoning or condiment, and medicinally in plasters, poultices, etc.

any of various acrid or pungent plants, especially of the genus Brassica, as B. juncea (leaf mustard) the leaves of which are used for food and B. nigra (black mustard) the chief source of commercial mustard, and Sinapis alba (white mustard)

Compare mustard family.

nitrogen mustard.

Idioms

cut the mustard, Slang. to reach or surpass the desired standard of performance:

a pitcher who cuts the mustard with his fastball.

Origin

1300-50; Middle English < Old French moustarde a relish orig. made of mustard seed and must, equivalent to moust must² + -arde -ard

Can be confused

muster, mustard.

Examples from the web for mustard

Melted butter sits in ceramic pitchers for easy pouring, though other dinners feature a mustard or cream sauce.
Instead, exotics such as garlic mustard can muscle in, taking up space and shading out native flowers and tree seedlings.
Collard, mustard and turnip greens had been picked last fall and stored in the mammoth freezer.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard and apple jelly, then brush the mixture all over the surface of the ham.
Spread the mustard mixture on top of salmon, then cover with pecans and pepper.
Make a paste of pinion nuts and mustard seed and olive oil.
Other key ingredients: spiced oil, hot mustard, and dried salsa.
Cut each roll in half diagonally and serve immediately, with plum sauce and mustard for dipping.
Drain one can corn and season with mustard and onion juice.
Many feel sure that by adding with seasonings one-half tablespoon mustard, the beans are more easily digested.

British Dictionary definitions for mustard

mustard

/ˈmʌstəd/

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, mainly US) zest or enthusiasm

(slang) cut the mustard, to come up to expectations

Word Origin

C13: from Old French moustarde, from Latin mustummust², since the original condiment was made by adding must

Word Origin and History for mustard

late 13c. (late 12c. as a surname), from Old French mostarde "mustard, mustard plant" (Modern French moutarde), from moust "must," from Latin mustum "new wine" (see must (n.1)); so called because it was originally prepared by adding must to the ground seeds of the plant to make a paste. As a color name, it is attested from 1848.

Mustard gas, World War I poison (first used by the Germans at Ypres, 1917), so called for its color and smell and burning effect on eyes and lungs; chemical name is dichlordiethyl sulfide, it contains no mustard, and is an atomized liquid, not a gas. To cut the mustard (1907, usually in negative) is probably from slang mustard "genuine article, best thing" (1903) on notion of "that which enhances flavor."

I'm not headlined in the bills, but I'm the mustard in the salad dressing just the same. [O.Henry, "Cabbages and Kings," 1904]

mustard in the Bible

a plant of the genus sinapis, a pod-bearing, shrub-like plant, growing wild, and also cultivated in gardens. The little round seeds were an emblem of any small insignificant object. It is not mentioned in the Old Testament; and in each of the three instances of its occurrence in the New Testament (Matt. 13:31, 32; Mark 4:31, 32; Luke 13:18, 19) it is spoken of only with reference to the smallness of its seed. The common mustard of Palestine is the Sinapis nigra. This garden herb sometimes grows to a considerable height, so as to be spoken of as "a tree" as compared with garden herbs.

Idioms and Phrases with mustard

mustard

see: cut the mustard