# mustard

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmʌstəɹd/ · frequency rank #11,428

## Definitions
1. A plant of certain species of the genus Brassica, or of related genera (especially Sinapis alba, in the family Brassicaceae, with yellow flowers, and linear seed pods).
2. Powder or paste made from seeds of the mustard plant, and used as a condiment or a spice.
3. The leaves of the mustard plant, used as a salad.
4. Dark yellow colour, the colour of mustard.
5. One of a family of vesicants containing one or more 2-chloroethyl (C₂H₄Cl) groups, commonly used in chemical warfare and cancer chemotherapy.
6. The tomalley of a crab, which resembles the condiment.
7. Ellipsis of mustard gas.
8. Energy, power (when throwing a baseball).

## Etymology
From Middle English mustard, from Old French moustarde (French moutarde), from moust (“must”), from Latin mustum. Compare Saterland Frisian Muster (“mustard”), Dutch mosterd (“mustard”), German Low German Musterd (“mustard”), Icelandic mustarður (“mustard”). Displaced Middle English senep, from Old English senep, from Latin sināpi (“mustard”). Sometimes mistakenly thought to come from Latin mustum ardens, but such a Latin phrase is not attested, and it is well understood that that the final -ard is derived from Old French -arde. Doublet of mostarda.

## Easily confused with
- **muster** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mustard-vs-muster)
- **mustang** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mustang-vs-mustard)
- **Mustafa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mustafa-vs-mustard)

## Common misspellings (11)
`mmustard`, `msutard`, `musatrd`, `musstard`, `mustadr`, `mustardd`, `mustarrd`, `mustrad`, `musttard`, `mutsard`, `umstard`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/mustard