fennel
Americannoun
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a plant, Foeniculum vulgare, of the parsley family, having feathery leaves and umbels of small, yellow flowers.
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Also fennel seed the aromatic fruits of Foeniculum vulgare, used in cooking and medicine.
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any of various plants more or less similar to Foeniculum vulgare, such as Ferula communis giant fennel, a tall, ornamental plant.
noun
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
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.
Amid the rise in interest in protein-forward, fiber-heavy dishes, La Boîte recently released a new product, Tadka, a zesty, Indian-inspired blend of mustard and fennel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Spinach, arugula, fennel, celery, and kale are also good dietary sources.
From Science Daily ● May 25, 2026
I usually get a bunch of salads and the crab and fennel soup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2026
Thin-sliced celery or carrots, fennel shaved translucent, a few slivers of red onion or scallions, even cucumbers if you’re craving something clean and cold.
From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2025
Like my parents, Mr. Pirzada took off his shoes before entering a room, chewed fennel seeds after meals as a digestive, drank no alcohol, for dessert dipped austere biscuits into successive cups of tea.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
