cress

2 definitions found

cress - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Cress \Cress\ (kr[e^]s), n.; pl. Cresses (kr[e^]s"[e^]z). [OE.
     ces, cresse, kers, kerse, AS. cresse, cerse; akin to D. kers,
     G. kresse, Dan. karse, Sw. krasse, and possibly also to OHG.
     chresan to creep.] (Bot.)
     A plant of various species, chiefly cruciferous. The leaves
     have a moderately pungent taste, and are used as a salad and
     antiscorbutic.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The garden cress, called also peppergrass, is the
           Lepidium sativum; the water cress is the Nasturtium officinale
           . Various other plants are sometimes called
           cresses.
           [1913 Webster]
  
                 To strip the brook with mantling cresses spread.
                                                    --Goldsmith.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     Bitter cress. See under Bitter.
  
     Not worth a cress, or "not worth a kers." a common old
        proverb, now turned into the meaningless "not worth a
        curse." --Skeat.
        [1913 Webster]

cress - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  cress
      n 1: any of various plants of the family Cruciferae with edible
           leaves that have a pungent taste [syn: cress, cress plant
           ]
      2: pungent leaves of any of numerous cruciferous herbs