Horseradish is a perennial plant that is part of the Brassicaceae family which includes mustard, wasabi, broccoli, cabbage, and radishes.

In French Horseradish is called raifort. The word horseradish is attested in English from the 1590’s and combines the word horse which was used in a figurative sense to mean strong or coarse and the word radish.

Although some believe that the term horseradish actually comes from a mispronunciation of the German word meerrettich as mare radish. Although many scholars have disputed this idea.