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

Canned water chestnuts are blanched before packing, which mutes their flavor slightly but preserves their crispness. —Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2026

Add the mayonnaise, mustard, turmeric, pepper, giardiniera, pickle and water chestnuts and mix well. —Laura McLively, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026

These shoots are often compared to water chestnuts and asparagus for their earthy taste and crunchy texture when cooked. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 24 Jan. 2026

The recipe has remained the same for decades, a harmonious blend of ground pork, crunchy water chestnuts, and plump shrimp. —Mackensy Lunsford, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for water chestnut

• abut
• catgut
• chesnut
• donut
• doughnut
• groundnut
• haircut
• hindgut
• midgut
• precut
• rebut
• recut

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