watercress

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UK/ˈwɔːtəkɹɛs/US/ˈwɔtəɹkɹɛs/

noun

A perennial European herb, Nasturtium officinale, that grows in freshwater streams; used in salads and as a garnish.

Similar
cress greencressonchromatic
OriginMiddle English water cresse →
UncommonScrabble 15
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Meanings

nounwatercress (countable and uncountable, plural watercresses)

plural watercresses · alternative water-cress · alternative water cress

  1. countableuncountableA perennial European herb, Nasturtium officinale, that grows in freshwater streams; used in salads and as a garnish.

    A spring wells up in the centre of the village, and watercress beds lie beside the stream running alongside the main street.

    1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 178
  2. countableuncountableA similar plant, Nasturtium microphyllum.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveof a moderate yellow-green color that is greener and deeper than moss green and yellower and darker than pea green

Similar
cress greencressonchromatic
Also see
cresson

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishwater cresse
  2. Englishwatercress

From Middle English water cresse, water-kresse, watercrasse, water cars, equivalent to water + cress. Cognate with West Frisian wetterkers (“watercress”), Dutch waterkers (“watercress”), German Wasserkresse (“waterkress”), Swedish vattenkrasse (“watercress”).

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic قُرَّة, حُرْف
  • قُرَّة (qurra)Nasturtium officinale
  • حُرْف (ḥurf)Nasturtium officinale
Bulgarian кресон, пореч
  • кресон (kreson)Nasturtium officinale
  • пореч (poreč)Nasturtium officinale
Catalan creixen, creixen
  • creixenNasturtium officinale
  • creixenNasturtium microphyllum
Chinese Cantonese 西洋菜
  • 西洋菜 (sai¹ joeng⁴ coi³)Nasturtium officinale
Chinese Mandarin 西洋菜, 豆瓣菜
  • 西洋菜 (xīyángcài)Nasturtium officinale
  • 豆瓣菜 (dòubàncài)Nasturtium officinale
  • 西洋菜 (xīyángcài)Nasturtium microphyllum
Czech potočnice, řeřicha
  • potočniceNasturtium officinale
  • řeřichaNasturtium officinale
  • potočnice lékařskáNasturtium officinale
  • potočniceNasturtium microphyllum
Danish tykskulpet Brøndkarse
  • tykskulpet BrøndkarseNasturtium officinale
Dutch witte waterkers, slanke waterkers
  • witte waterkersNasturtium officinale
  • slanke waterkersNasturtium microphyllum
Esperanto akvokreso, akvokreso
  • akvokresoNasturtium officinale
  • akvokresoNasturtium microphyllum
  • nasturcioNasturtium microphyllum
Finnish vesikrassi, pikkuvesikrassi
  • vesikrassiNasturtium officinale
  • pikkuvesikrassiNasturtium microphyllum
French cresson de fontaine
  • cresson de fontaineNasturtium officinale
German Brunnenkresse, Echte Brunnenkresse
  • BrunnenkresseNasturtium officinale
  • Echte BrunnenkresseNasturtium officinale
  • WasserkresseNasturtium officinale
  • Bastard-BrunnenkresseNasturtium microphyllum
Hebrew גרגיר הנחלים
  • גרגיר הנחליםNasturtium officinale
Hungarian vízitorma
  • vízitormaNasturtium officinale
Icelandic brunnkarsi, brunnperla
  • brunnkarsiNasturtium officinale
  • brunnperlaNasturtium officinale
  • vætukarsiNasturtium microphyllum
Irish biolar
  • biolarNasturtium officinale
Italian nasturzio, cresscionde d'acqua
  • nasturzioNasturtium officinale
  • cresscionde d'acquaNasturtium officinale
  • nasturzioNasturtium microphyllum
  • crescione d'acquaNasturtium microphyllum
Japanese クレソン, オランダガラシ
  • クレソン (kureson)Nasturtium officinale
  • オランダガラシ (orandagarashi)Nasturtium officinale
  • クレソン (kureson)Nasturtium microphyllum
Korean 물냉이, 크레송
  • 물냉이 (mullaeng'i)Nasturtium officinale
  • 크레송 (keuresong)Nasturtium officinale
Latin nasturtium
  • nasturtiumNasturtium officinale
Malay selada air
  • selada airNasturtium officinale
Māori kōwhitiwhiti, wātakirihi
  • kōwhitiwhitiNasturtium officinale
  • wātakirihiNasturtium officinale
Norwegian brønnkarse
  • brønnkarseNasturtium microphyllum
Persian ترتیزک, شاهی
  • ترتیزک (tartizak)Nasturtium officinale
  • شاهی (šâhi)Nasturtium officinale
  • آبترهNasturtium microphyllum
Polish rukiew, rukiew wodna
  • rukiewNasturtium officinale
  • rukiew wodnaNasturtium officinale
  • rukiew drobnolistnaNasturtium microphyllum
Portuguese agrião, agrião
  • agriãoNasturtium officinale
  • agriãoNasturtium microphyllum
Romanian năsturel, creson
  • năsturelNasturtium officinale
  • cresonNasturtium officinale
  • cardamaNasturtium officinale
  • năsturelNasturtium microphyllum
  • cresonNasturtium microphyllum
Russian жеру́ха, водяно́й кре́сс
  • жеру́ха (žerúxa)Nasturtium officinale
  • водяно́й кре́сс (vodjanój kréss)Nasturtium officinale
  • брункре́сс (brunkréss)Nasturtium officinale
Scottish Gaelic biolar
  • biolarNasturtium microphyllum
Slovak žerucha
  • žeruchaNasturtium officinale
Spanish berro, berro
  • berroNasturtium officinale
  • berroNasturtium microphyllum
  • cresónNasturtium microphyllum
  • berro de aguaNasturtium microphyllum
Swedish källfräne, källkrasse
  • källfräneNasturtium officinale
  • källkrasseNasturtium officinale
  • vattenkrasseNasturtium officinale
Tagalog kangkong
  • kangkongNasturtium officinale
Turkish su teresi
  • su teresiNasturtium officinale
Vietnamese cải xoong
  • cải xoongNasturtium officinale
Welsh berwr y dŵr, berwr y ffynnon
  • berwr y dŵrNasturtium officinale
  • berwr y ffynnonNasturtium officinale
Yiddish וואַסערכריין, זשערעכע
  • וואַסערכריין (vaserkhreyn)Nasturtium officinale
  • זשערעכע (zherekhe)Nasturtium officinale
Cite this entry
APA

watercress. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/watercress

MLA

“watercress.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/watercress. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “watercress,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/watercress.

Source: watercress on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.