CRESS

cress

(noun) pungent leaves of any of numerous cruciferous herbs

cress, cress plant

(noun) any of various plants of the family Cruciferae with edible leaves that have a pungent taste

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

cress (countable and uncountable, plural cresses)

(plants) A plant of various species, chiefly cruciferous. The leaves have a moderately pungent taste, and are used as a salad and antiscorbutic.

Source: Wiktionary

Cress (krs), n.; pl. Cresses (kr. Etym: [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.)

Definition: A plant of various species, chiefly cruciferous. The leaves have a moderately pungent taste, and are used as a salad and antiscorbutic.

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. To strip the brook with mantling cresses spread. Goldsmith. 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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition