The Collaborative International Dictionary
Mustard \Mus"tard\, n. [OF. moustarde, F. moutarde, fr. L. mustum must, -- mustard was prepared for use by being mixed with must. See Must, n.]
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(Bot.) The name of several cruciferous plants of the genus Brassica (formerly Sinapis), as white mustard ( Brassica alba), black mustard ( Brassica Nigra), wild mustard or charlock ( Brassica Sinapistrum).
Note: There are also many herbs of the same family which are called mustard, and have more or less of the flavor of the true mustard; as, bowyer's mustard ( Lepidium ruderale); hedge mustard ( Sisymbrium officinale); Mithridate mustard ( Thlaspi arvense); tower mustard ( Arabis perfoliata); treacle mustard ( Erysimum cheiranthoides).
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A powder or a paste made from the seeds of black or white mustard, used as a condiment and a rubefacient. Taken internally it is stimulant and diuretic, and in large doses is emetic.
Mustard oil (Chem.), a substance obtained from mustard, as a transparent, volatile and intensely pungent oil. The name is also extended to a number of analogous compounds produced either naturally or artificially.
Wiktionary
n. 1 The hot pungent oil expressed from mustard seeds; used sparingly as a food dressing. 2 (context organic compound English) The essential oil, allyl isothiocyanate, also obtained from mustard seeds.
Wikipedia
The term mustard oil is used for two different oils that are made from mustard seeds:
- A fatty vegetable oil resulting from pressing the seeds,
- An essential oil resulting from grinding the seeds, mixing them with water, and extracting the resulting volatile oil by distillation.
The pungency of mustard oil is due to the presence of allyl isothiocyanate, an activator of the TRPA1 channel.
Usage examples of "mustard oil".
The seeds also contain the crystalline glucoside Sinalbin and the enzyme Myrosin, which unite to form a volatile oil, called Sinalbin Mustard Oil, used for various purposes, though not so pungent as that of Black Mustard.
Mimuay gasped as the mustard oil became a bronze sheen on the water.
And when the minute grubs hatch, they are immediately attracted, through some as yet unidentified sense organs to the scent of mustard oil emanating from the roots.
Spiced vinegar and mustard oil were claimed with similar alacrity but the woman in green waved away a man wanting a jar of physic oil.