Definition of Fennel

1. Noun. Any of several aromatic herbs having edible seeds and leaves and stems.


2. Noun. Aromatic bulbous stem base eaten cooked or raw in salads.
Exact synonyms: Finocchio, Florence Fennel
Generic synonyms: Veg, Vegetable, Veggie
Group relationships: Florence Fennel, Foeniculum Dulce, Foeniculum Vulgare Dulce

3. Noun. Leaves used for seasoning.
Exact synonyms: Common Fennel
Generic synonyms: Herb
Group relationships: Common Fennel, Foeniculum Vulgare

4. Noun. Fennel seeds are ground and used as a spice or as an ingredient of a spice mixture.
Generic synonyms: Spice

Definition of Fennel

1. n. A perennial plant of the genus Fæniculum (F. vulgare), having very finely divided leaves. It is cultivated in gardens for the agreeable aromatic flavor of its seeds.

Definition of Fennel

1. Noun. A plant, ''Foeniculum vulgare'', of the parsley family. ¹

2. Noun. The bulb, leaves, or stalks of the plant, eaten as a vegetable. ¹

3. Noun. The seeds of the fennel plant used as a spice in cooking. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Fennel

1. a perennial herb [n -S]

Medical Definition of Fennel

1. A perennial plant of the genus Faeniculum (F.vulgare), having very finely divided leaves. It is cultivated in gardens for the agreeable aromatic flavor of its seeds. "Smell of sweetest fennel." (Milton) "A sprig of fennel was in fact the theological smelling bottle of the tender sex." (S. G. Goodrich) Azorean, or Sweet, fennel, (Faeniculum dulce). It is a smaller and stouter plant than the common fennel, and is used as a pot herb. Dog's fennel (Anthemis Cotula), a foul-smelling European weed; called also mayweed. Fennel flower, the distilled water of fennel seed. It is stimulant and carminative. Giant fennel (Ferula communis), has stems full of pith, which, it is said, were used to carry fire, first, by Prometheus. Hog's fennel, a European plant (Peucedanum officinale) looking something like fennel. Origin: AS. Fenol, finol, from L. Feniculum, faeniculum, dim. Of fenum, faenum, hay: cf. F. Fenouil. Cf. Fenugreek. Finochio. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Fennel

fenitars
fenitrothion
fenitrothion phosphatase
fenks
fenland
fenlands
fenlike
fenman
fenmen
fenne
fennec
fennec-fox
fennec fox
fennec foxes
fennecs
fennel flower
fennel seed
fennels
fennier
fennies
fenniest
fennish
fennocchio
fennochio
fenny
fenobucarb
fenocchi
fenocchio
fenochi

Literary usage of Fennel

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Natural History of Pliny by Pliny, John Bostock, Henry Thomas Riley (1856)
"fennel has been rendered famous by the serpent, which tastes it, ... fennel-juice is gathered when the stem is swelling with the bud; after which it is ..."

2. The Microscopy of Vegetable Foods: With Special Reference to the Detection by Andrew Lincoln Winton, Josef Moeller, Kate Grace Barber Winton (1916)
"In Colonial times in America it was a common custom among the Puritans to carry to church a sprig of green fennel, known as " Meetin' Seed," at which they ..."

3. The Volatile Oils by Eduard Gildemeister, Friedrich Hoffmann (1900)
"Early investigations of fennel oil were made in 1779 by Heyer of ... Further observations, which like the above deal mainly with fennel camphor (anethol). ..."

4. Pharmacographia; a History of the Principal Drugs of Vegetable Origin, Met by Friedrich August Flückiger, Daniel Hanbury (1879)
"Wild or Bitter fennel (Fenouil amer), collected in the south of France, ... They are smaller and broader than those of the German fennel, being from -J to ..."

5. Remains, Historical and Literary, Connected with the Palatine Counties of by Chetham Society (1857)
"In twice two ways is fennel giv'n, as febrifuge and venom cure, And stomach purge, so sight it can restore. In an old English MS. in possession of Mr. ..."

6. A Practical Treatise on Animal and Vegetable Fats and Oils: Comprising Both by William Theodore Brannt, Karl Schaedler (1896)
"It has a fennel-like odor and a sweetish, mild, aromatic taste. ... The oil solidifies at 50° F., though there are fennel oils which remain liquid at 0.4° F ..."

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