cruciferous

American  

[kroo-sif-er-uhs] / kruˈsɪf ər əs /

adjective

1. bearing a cross.

2. Botany. belonging to the family Cruciferae (or Brassicaceae), the mustard family of plants; brassicaceous.

   Are you getting enough broccoli, cauliflower, and other cruciferous vegetables in your diet?

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cruciferous British  

/ kruːˈsɪfərəs /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the plant family Cruciferae See crucifer

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Etymology

Origin of cruciferous

From Late Latin crucifer + -ous; cruciferous def. 1 was first recorded in 1650–60; cruciferous def. 2 in 1850–55; crucifer, -ous

Example Sentences

This year, the baton is being handed to a vegetable: the leafy and cruciferous cabbage.

From Salon • Feb. 21, 2026

The broccoli rabe was turned into a kind of cruciferous pesto.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

The highest levels of veggie-munching were associated with a 17 percent reduction in colon cancer risk across 17 studies compared to eating no cruciferous vegetables at all.

From Slate • Sep. 5, 2025

Building upon their previous work, where the research team demonstrated the abundance of polysulfide molecules in cruciferous vegetables.

From Science Daily • Oct. 24, 2023

This little annual cruciferous plant is common in the fields of many parts of the United States, though originally introduced from Europe.

From Species and Varieties, Their Origin by Mutation by Vries, Hugo de