What does cruciferous mean?
Cruciferous is an adjective describing plants of the cabbage family — scientifically known as Brassicaceae, and formerly called Cruciferae. The name comes from the Latin crux ('cross') and ferre ('to bear'), referring to the family's characteristic flowers, whose four petals are arranged in the shape of a cross. Today the word appears most often in discussions of food and health: broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard greens, and radishes are all classic examples of cruciferous vegetables, which are widely promoted for their fiber, vitamins, and sulfur-containing plant compounds. The adjective carries no strong emotional connotation; its register is somewhat technical or scientific, though it has become familiar enough that it routinely shows up in cooking articles, dietary guidelines, and grocery marketing. For anyone interested in botany or nutrition, cruciferous is the standard, precise term for grouping these closely related and nutritionally notable plants.
adjectiveRelating to or denoting plants of the cabbage family (Brassicaceae, formerly Cruciferae), which typically have four-petaled flowers arranged in a cross shape; especially used of vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and Brussels sprouts.
- Designating plants of the family Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae), characterized by four petals arranged in a cross shape.
- (Of food and nutrition contexts) relating to vegetables from this family, such as broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and mustard greens.
"Nutritionists often recommend eating cruciferous vegetables several times a week."
"A diet rich in cruciferous vegetables has been linked in some studies to various health benefits."
"The garden's cruciferous bed featured kale, radishes, and ornamental cabbages."
The humble broccoli on your plate is 'cruciferous' because its tiny four-petaled flowers form the shape of a cross — the word literally means 'cross-bearing.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cruciferous
The word derives from New Latin Cruciferae, the former name of the cabbage family, itself formed from Latin crux ('cross') plus ferre ('to bear'), alluding to the four cross-shaped petals typical of these flowers. It entered English usage in botanical Latin before becoming an ordinary English adjective, first appearing in scientific writing around the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The same Latin root crux underlies related words such as crucifix, crucify, and crucial.
Related word forms
How cruciferous is actually used
Most frequently encountered in nutritional, botanical, and health-media writing. In everyday speech it is largely confined to discussions of vegetables; outside those contexts, the botanical term Brassicaceae is more common among specialists.
Easily confused with cruciferous
Cruciform describes anything shaped like a cross, while cruciferous specifically refers to plants of the cabbage family (or, historically, to a crossbearer).