English Dictionary: fennel | by the DICT Development Group |
2 results for fennel | |
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: | |
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From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Fennel \Fen"nel\ (f[ecr]n"n[ecr]l), n. [AS. fenol, finol, from L. feniculum, faeniculum, dim. of fenum, faenum, hay: cf. F. fenouil. Cf. {Fenugreek}. {Finochio}.] (Bot.) A perennial plant of the genus {F[91]niculum} ({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}, ({F[91]niculum 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} (Bot.), an herb ({Nigella}) of the Buttercup family, having leaves finely divided, like those of the fennel. {N. Damascena} is common in gardens. {N. sativa} furnishes the fennel seed, used as a condiment, etc., in India. These seeds are the [bd]fitches[b8] mentioned in Isaiah (xxviii. 25). {Fennel water} (Med.), 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. |