parsley

[ pahr-slee ]

noun
  1. an herb, Pertoselinum crispum, native to the Mediterranean, having either curled leaf clusters (French parsley ) or flat compound leaves (Italian parsley ), widely cultivated for use in garnishing or seasoning food.: Compare parsley family.

  2. the leaves of this plant, used to garnish or season food.

  1. any of certain allied or similar plants.

adjective
  1. Also parslied, parsleyed . cooked or garnished with parsley: parsley potatoes.

Origin of parsley

1
before 1000; Middle English persely, blend of Old English petersilie and Old French persil; both <Late Latin *petrosilium, alteration of Latin petroselīnum<Greek petrosélīnon rock-parsley. See petro-1, celery

Other words from parsley

  • pars·ley·like, adjective

Words Nearby parsley

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How to use parsley in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for parsley

parsley

/ (ˈpɑːslɪ) /


noun
  1. a S European umbelliferous plant, Petroselinum crispum, widely cultivated for its curled aromatic leaves, which are used in cooking

  2. any of various similar and related plants, such as fool's-parsley, stone parsley, and cow parsley

Origin of parsley

1
C14 persely, from Old English petersilie + Old French persil, peresil, both ultimately from Latin petroselīnum rock parsley, from Greek petroselinon, from petra rock + selinon parsley

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012