Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
mustard greens

mustard greens

2 3.6
Leaves from a mustard plant that people eat cooked
  • noun
  • /ˈmʌstərd ɡriːnz/
translation icon : hojas de mostaza
  • We simply let these mustard greens ferment by adding salt water, onions and ginger.
  • chopped mustard greens
  • mustard greens and kale
  • mustard greens and collards

So spinach, it would be good, broccoli, broccoli ray, mustard greens.

Examples

  • And so we're going to get our mustard greens as well planted.

  • "How 'bout mustard greens and peanuts?"

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Today, at the old city temple, it is rice and mustard greens.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • "She said send her some mustard greens," I said, forgetting my anger.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • "People are growing corn, mustard greens, cucumbers, fruit trees, and flowers."

    Academic text (2000)

  • There wasn't much produce, but I did get a couple of turnips, some collards, and mustard greens.

    Blog text (19)

  • Other essential ingredients like garlic, ginger, water celery, and mustard greens were also selling at inflated prices.

    Blog text (15)

  • We will sample mustard greens, arugula, chard, beet greens.

    Blog text (7)

  • We simply let these mustard greens ferment by adding salt water, onions and ginger.

  • Add grilled vegetables and chopped mustard greens to the bowl with the rice mixture.

Synonyms

mustard
vsmustard greens
12 2.0

Leaves from a plant like cabbage that are cooked and eaten as greens

is specifically the leaves eaten cooked or steamed
greens
vsmustard greens
11 1.0

Leaves and stems of plants like spinach or kale eaten as vegetables

is the specific type eaten usually cooked or steamed rather than any leafy vegetable
leaf mustard
vsmustard greens
4.9

A green leafy vegetable with spicy leaves used in cooking

refers specifically to the varieties whose leaves are steamed or cooked
Brassica juncea
vsmustard greens
  • Specialized
5.1

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

is the common vegetable form of that species, eaten cooked
Indian mustard
vsmustard greens
4.6

A leafy plant with leaves eaten as greens and seeds used as a spice and for oil

focuses only on the leaves eaten as a cooked vegetable
gai choi
vsmustard greens
  • UK
9.9

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

is the broader category of cooked leaves from several varieties
Chinese mustard
vsmustard greens
4.0

A leafy plant from Asia with spicy leaves used as a vegetable or seasoning

covers the same edible leaves but not necessarily the pungent seasoning use

How Peppery

wasabi
2 5.2
arugula
  • US
22 5.7
mustard greens
2 3.6
mizuna
1 7.6
spinach
94 1.0
lettuce
93 1.0

Surface Forms

mustard greens singular
mustard green plural

Morphology

mustard + greens

The meaning is directly compositional: 'mustard' names the plant/type and 'greens' denotes edible leafy vegetables, so together they mean the edible leaves of the mustard plant. This noun+noun compounding is a common, cross-linguistic pattern and is predictable for a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Mustard greens are named after the mustard plant because the leafy greens have a sharp, peppery taste like the seeds called 'mustard'. So the name points to these leaves and their 'mustard' taste, which is why it means the edible leafy 'vegetable'.