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fennel

American  
[fen-l] / ˈfɛn l /

noun

  1. a plant, Foeniculum vulgare, of the parsley family, having feathery leaves and umbels of small, yellow flowers.

  2. Also fennel seed the aromatic fruits of Foeniculum vulgare, used in cooking and medicine.

  3. any of various plants more or less similar to Foeniculum vulgare, such as Ferula communis giant fennel, a tall, ornamental plant.

fennel British  
/ ˈfɛnəl /

noun

  1. a strong-smelling yellow-flowered umbelliferous plant, Foeniculum vulgare , whose seeds and feathery leaves are used to season and flavour food See also finocchio

  2. another name for mayweed

"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

Etymology

Origin of fennel

First recorded before 900; Middle English fenel, Old English fenol, variant of finu ( g ) l from unattested Vulgar Latin fenuclum, for Latin fēniculum, faeniculum, equivalent to faeni- (combining form of faenum “hay”) + -culum -cle 1

Vocabulary lists containing fennel

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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.

Fennel is inescapable here, dotting the tables of nearly every Italian-American household, often served raw as a palate cleanser.

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2025

I like Molton Brown body washes — my husband and I share the Coastal Cypress & Sea Fennel one.

From New York Times • May 9, 2024

Saltburn was written and directed by English actor and filmmaker Emerald Fennel, who was the showrunner for series two of BBC thriller Killing Eve.

From BBC • Dec. 13, 2023

The funding for Fennel and Atamanchuk’s work is part of a $50 million investment from the Carbon to Sea nonprofit.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 30, 2023

Fennel sharpens the sight and is an antidote to some poisons.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

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.