Watercrasse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A low-growing aquatic plant with peppery, edible leaves that is often eaten raw in salads
2. An archaic name for a pungent green herb that grows in cold, running streams and is used in salads
3. A bitter-tasting water plant whose crisp leaves were historically gathered from brooks and eaten as greens

Etymology: "Watercrasse" is an older spelling of watercress, a compound of "water" and "cress." The form appears in Middle English, and its ancestor in Old English was "wǣtercærse," which named the same leafy plant that grows in streams and springs. The "water" part simply describes where the plant grows, while "cress" is the older and more important half of the name. "Cress" itself comes from Old English "cærse," which belongs to a family of Germanic words for the same kind of pungent salad herb, including Old High German "kressa." Its deeper origin is uncertain. The spelling shifted over the centuries, and "crasse" in this form reflects the Middle English pronunciation and spelling of the time, before the modern spelling settled.