Quantcast
What is the origin of the word horseradish? | Almanac.com

What is the origin of the word horseradish?

Print Friendly and PDF
What is the origin of the word horseradish?
Answer
It’s an Old English word that appears in 16th-century records, although it probably was used long before then. Horse was often used as a prefix in the names of plants to denote a large, strong, coarse kind. The horseradish root is very large and pungent, especially when compared to the ordinary radish.