water chestnut

noun

1
: any of a genus (Trapa, especially T. natans of the family Lythraceae, the loosestrife family) of Old World aquatic herbs sometimes grown as ornamentals
also : its edible nutlike spiny fruit
2
: a whitish crunchy vegetable used especially in Chinese cooking that is the peeled and often sliced tuber of a sedge (Eleocharis dulcis synonym E. tuberosa) native to Asia but widely cultivated elsewhere
also : the tuber or the sedge itself

Examples of water chestnut in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The heat is accumulative but not terribly aggressive in spice, and the bits of water chestnut offer freshness and crunch. Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025 That night, Monica recalled, George prepared the couple’s first meal living together: a stir fry with water chestnuts, pea pods, mushrooms and onions with diced chicken and maybe steak, too, over a bed of rice. Bradley Hohulin, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Sep. 2024 Add water chestnuts and green onions for crunch and extra flavor. Johna Burdeos, Health, 3 Feb. 2025 Several food items measured at potentially hazardous temperatures, including noodles, water chestnut, bamboo shoots and barbecue pork. Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 17 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for water chestnut

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of water chestnut was in 1597

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Cite this Entry

“Water chestnut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20chestnut. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

water chestnut

noun
: a whitish crunchy vegetable used especially in Chinese cooking that is the peeled underground stem of an Asian sedge
also : the sedge or its underground stem

More from Merriam-Webster on water chestnut

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