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Indian mustard

Indian mustard

4.6
A leafy plant with leaves eaten as greens and seeds used as a spice and for oil
  • noun
  • /ˈɪndiən ˈmʌstərd/
translation icon : mostaza india
  • She cooked Indian mustard with garlic and served it over rice.

Examples

  • Many Asian recipes call for Indian mustard as a key ingredient in stir-fries.

  • The farmer's market sells fresh Indian mustard during the spring season.

  • I love adding Indian mustard to my salad.

  • Have you tried Indian mustard greens before?

  • Many Asian recipes call for Indian mustard as a key ingredient in stir-fries.

  • She cooked Indian mustard with garlic and served it over rice.

  • The farmer's market sells fresh Indian mustard during the spring season.

Synonyms

mustard
vsIndian mustard
  • Specialized
11 1.6

A plant like cabbage that is grown for its seeds or leaves

is the specific common plant used for cooked leaves and seed products
mustard greens
vsIndian mustard
2 3.6

Leaves from a mustard plant that people eat cooked

is broader naming the whole plant including seed uses
Brassica juncea
vsIndian mustard
  • Specialized
5.1

A plant in the mustard family grown for spicy leaves and seeds

is the everyday name highlighting leaf cooking and seed uses
gai choi
vsIndian mustard
  • UK
9.9

A leafy green vegetable with thick slightly bitter leaves used in Chinese cooking

is a general food term for the same plant and its seed uses
leaf mustard
vsIndian mustard
4.9

A green leafy vegetable with spicy leaves used in cooking

is the general food name that also covers seed and oil uses

Surface Forms

Morphology

Indian + mustard

The noun phrase 'Indian mustard' is compositional: an adjective of origin 'Indian' specifying a type or variety of 'mustard', so its meaning as a mustard plant associated with India is directly derivable from the parts. Nationality + noun combinations are cross-linguistically common and follow a transparent naming pattern that a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand.

Etymology

Indian mustard comes from the plant being a type of mustard that grew in India and was used there 'to make mustard' and as cooked greens. So today Indian mustard means the plant whose leaves people eat and whose seeds are used as a spice or for oil.