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black mustard

black mustard

5.6
A plant with small spicy seeds used to make a yellow sauce for food
  • noun
  • /blæk ˈmʌstərd/
translation icon : mostaza negra
  • In Indian cuisine, black mustard seeds are commonly tempered in oil to add a nutty flavor to dishes.
  • black mustard seeds
  • a teaspoon of black mustard
  • brown or black mustard

Examples

  • Spicy black mustard seeds are often used in Indian cuisine.

  • Fields of black mustard bloom in late spring across the countryside.

  • The chef added freshly ground black mustard to the salad dressing for an extra kick.

  • I added black mustard to my sandwich.

  • The chef prefers using black mustard for its strong flavor.

  • The chef recommended using black mustard seeds in the recipe for a sharper taste compared to yellow mustard.

  • Toasted black mustard seeds give it crunch and intrigue.

Synonyms

Brassica nigra
vsblack mustard
  • Specialized
7.5

A plant with black seeds used to make table mustard

is the everyday common name used in ordinary cooking and markets

How Pungent

black mustard
5.6
mustard
167 1.0
white mustard
  • Specialized
4.5

Surface Forms

black mustard singular

Morphology

black + mustard

This is a straightforward noun phrase formed by a color adjective modifying a known noun; a B1 learner who knows 'black' and 'mustard' can infer it denotes a type/variety of mustard associated with the color or dark seeds. The composition follows regular English adjective + noun patterns and is cross-linguistically predictable, so the meaning is transparently derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Black mustard gets its name from the plant's dark seeds: black points to their color and mustard names the spicy paste made from those seeds, so the phrase means the plant grown for strong, spicy seeds used in cooking.