ˈhorse-ˌradish
[See horse n. 28 c.]
1. A cruciferous plant (Cochlearia Armoracia), with white flowers and broad rough leaves, a native of middle Europe and western Asia, commonly cultivated for its root (see 2).
| 1597 Gerarde Herbal ii. vii. 186 Horse Radish bringeth foorth great leaues. 1732 Arbuthnot Rules of Diet 263 Vegetables which abound with a pungent volatile Salt and Oil as..Horse-Radish, Cresses. 1876 Harley Mat. Med. (ed. 6) 732 Horse-Radish is a Native of most hilly situations in Europe,..flowering in May. |
2. The thick rootstock of this plant, which has a very pungent flavour, and is scraped or grated down as a condiment.
| 1625 Hart Anat. Ur. Pref. B b, The Germanes in diuerse places..boyle wilde or horse radishes with their beefe. 1769 Mrs. Raffald Eng. Housekpr. (1778) 351 Pour it on your parsley, with two or three slices of horse-radish. 1881 Besant & Rice Chapl. of Fleet I. vi. 150 His prejudices as a gentleman and a scholar were offended by the absence of horse-radish. |
| fig. 1830 Galt Lawrie T. vi. iii, With a plentiful garnishing of the horse radish of their petulance. |
3. attrib. and
Comb., as
horse-radish root;
† horse-radish ale, ? ale flavoured with horse-radish;
horse-radish tree, (
a) a tree (
Moringa pterygosperma), a native of India, cultivated in tropical countries for its pod-like capsules, which are eaten fresh or pickled, and for its winged seeds (
ben-nuts), from which oil of ben is obtained; the root resembles horse-radish in flavour; (
b) in Australia, a name for
Codonocarpus cotinifolius (N.O.
Phytolaceæ): see
quot. 1889.
| 1664 Pepys Diary 16 Sept., He would needs have me drink a cup of horse-radish ale. 1694 Salmon Bates' Disp. (1713) 437/2 On the edulcorated Pouder, affuse Oil of Turpentine drawn off from Horse-radish-roots. 1859 All Year Round No. 32. 127/1 Horse-radish trees, giving perfumers and watchmakers that famous oil of Ben, which can hardly ever be obtained pure. 1889 J. H. Maiden Usef. Nat. Plants Australia 164 Called also ‘Horse-radish Tree’, owing to the taste of the leaves. |