cilantro
Americannoun
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the strong-scented leaves of the coriander plant, used in salads or to flavor and garnish food.
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the coriander plant.
noun
Etymology
Origin of cilantro
1900–05; < Spanish, variant of culantro < Vulgar Latin, dissimilated form of Latin coriandrum coriander
Explanation
Cilantro is a strong, distinctive-smelling herb that's often used in Mexican and Indian cooking. While cilantro looks very similar to parsley, its flavor is much stronger. Cilantro is also known as coriander, as are its dried seeds. The fresh herb is often added to dishes just before serving, like Indian dal and Mexican guacamole, and mixed into Indian chutneys. Interestingly, people taste cilantro in completely different ways — cilantro lovers describe it as having a lemony flavor, while haters say it tastes like soap. Cilantro is a Spanish word, from the Latin coliandrum, "coriander."
Vocabulary lists containing cilantro
World Cuisine - Introductory
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World Cuisine - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Taco Bell has already reportedly pulled several items from its menu, including lettuce, cilantro and onions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Cyclospora has also been known to hang around in raspberries and cilantro.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
In the past, foods including bagged salad mixes, fresh cilantro, fresh basil, raspberries, snow peas and scallions have been linked to cyclosporiasis.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
A single tub of pico de gallo, for instance, quietly replaces fresh tomatoes, onion, cilantro and jalapeños all at once.
From Salon ● May 19, 2026
Next will come cream of asparagus soup topped with blue cheese crumbles, then sauteed chicken in a mushroom-raisin-wine sauce garnished with curlicues of carrot and sprigs of fresh cilantro.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
