# mustard

Pronunciation: US say "MUS-terd" /ˈmʌstəɹd/; say "MUS-tuhd" UK /ˈmʌs.təd/, AUS /ˈmɐs.təd/

## Noun

1. A pungent condiment or spice made from the ground seeds of the mustard plant, prepared as a powder or paste.
   - Simple: A spicy yellow paste or powder made from crushed seeds, used to flavor food.
   - _He stirred a spoonful of mustard into the salad dressing._
   - _Strong mustard cleared his sinuses with a single bite._
2. A plant of the genus Brassica or related genera, especially Sinapis alba, bearing yellow flowers and slender, linear seed pods.
   - Simple: A leafy plant of the cabbage family, with bright yellow flowers and thin seed pods.
   - _Yellow fields of mustard bloomed across the hillside in spring._
   - _The mustard in the garden had bolted and gone to seed._
3. A dark yellow color, like that of prepared mustard.
   - Simple: A dark, brownish-yellow color, like that of the condiment.
   - _His tie was a deep mustard that matched the autumn leaves._
   - _The designer paired charcoal gray with a rich mustard throughout the room._
5. The edible leaves of the mustard plant, served as a peppery salad green.
   - Simple: The green leaves of a certain plant, eaten raw or cooked in salads.
   - _The salad combined arugula, spinach, and peppery mustard._
   - _Farmers harvest mustard young, when the leaves are tender enough to eat raw._
6. Short form of mustard gas. — Ellipsis of mustard gas.
   - Simple: Short form of mustard gas. It means the same poison gas, just said in fewer words.
   - _Exposure to mustard left the men with severe blisters and burned lungs._
   - _Shells loaded with mustard contaminated the trenches for days._
7. A member of a family of blistering agents containing one or more 2-chloroethyl groups, used in chemical warfare and in cancer chemotherapy.
   - Simple: A blistering chemical used as a weapon or, in some forms, as a cancer treatment.
   - _Researchers found that mustard damages the DNA of dividing cells._
   - _Certain forms of mustard are still given to patients during chemotherapy._
8. The tomalley of a crab (the soft, yellowish digestive gland) which resembles the condiment in color.
   - Simple: The soft, yellow part inside a crab that looks like the condiment.
   - _Crab lovers prize the rich mustard tucked inside the shell._
   - _He spread the warm mustard from the crab onto a cracker._
9. Energy or power put on a thrown baseball. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Speed and force put on a thrown baseball.
   - _The rookie added some mustard to his fastball in the late innings._
   - _Her throw from the outfield had real mustard behind it._

## Adjective

4. Of a dark yellow color, resembling the condiment.
   - Simple: Having a dark yellow color.
   - _She wore a mustard sweater over a white shirt._
   - _The vintage sofa was mustard with worn wooden arms._
10. Excellent; very good or highly skilled. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Very good or very skilled.
   - _The band's new album is mustard from start to finish._
   - _As a painter he's absolutely mustard._

## Origin

From Middle English mustard, from Old French moustarde (modern French moutarde), derived from moust ('must') and ultimately from Latin mustum. It replaced the earlier Middle English word senep, which came through Old English from Latin sināpi.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/mustard (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).