Sinapis

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A genus of flowering plants belonging to the mustard family, which includes various species used as edible greens and spices
2. A botanical classification that encompasses plants known for their pungent seeds and culinary uses
3. Referring to herbaceous plants that produce yellow flowers and bear seeds commonly utilized in condiments and cooking

Etymology: Sinapis is the Latin name for mustard, and it comes straight from Greek "sinapi", which was used for the same plant and its pungent seeds. The Greek word is likely of foreign origin, and its ultimate source is uncertain, so it is best treated as a borrowed word whose deeper history is lost. Botanists adopted the Latin form as the genus name for mustard plants, a choice that let the scientific classification keep the ancient name for the crop. Because it is a genus name, it is written with a capital letter and italicised in formal texts, and it groups plants such as white mustard and its relatives.

Synonyms: mustard, mustard plant