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

This recipe gets a special crunch from water chestnuts. — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 14 May 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

Add the pork, shrimp, onion, water chestnuts, scallions, fish sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, sugar, salt and white pepper and stir to combine. — 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