oregano
[uh-reg-uh-noh, aw-reg‐]
- an aromatic herb, Origanum vulgare, of the mint family, having leaves used as seasoning in cooking.
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Compare marjoram.
Origin of oregano
Also called pot marjoram.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for oregano
Contemporary Examples
Goats milk is the closest equivalent to human breast milk and I always take these in combination with oil of oregano capsules.
Add the wine, beef bones, bay leaf, oregano, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using.
For an herbal infusion, dress the beans with rosemary or oregano, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
It calls for Calabrian oregano on the branch, which if you can get from your local Italian food store, is always worth the effort.
These lamb burgers buzz with Greek flavors—garlic, oregano, and mint.
Historical Examples
There is no danger of inflammation—nothing beats the oregano for preventing that, and you need not be afraid of fever.
Wood RangersMayne Reid
She smelled faintly of garlic, oregano and some kind of incense, maybe sandalwood.
Tinker's DamJoseph Tinker
oregano
- a Mediterranean variety of wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare), with pungent leaves
- the dried powdered leaves of this plant, used to season food
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See also origanum
Word Origin
C18: American Spanish, from Spanish, from Latin orīganum, from Greek origanon an aromatic herb, perhaps marjoram
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for oregano
n.
1771, from Spanish or American Spanish oregano, from Latin origanus, origanum, from Greek oreiganon, from oros "mountain" (see oread) + ganos "brightness, ornament." The older form of the word in English was the Latin-derived origanum (mid-13c.), also origan (early 15c.). In Europe, the dried leaves of wild marjoram; in America, a different, and more pungent, shrub.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper