parsley
Americannoun
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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.
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the leaves of this plant, used to garnish or season food.
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any of certain allied or similar plants.
adjective
noun
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a S European umbelliferous plant, Petroselinum crispum, widely cultivated for its curled aromatic leaves, which are used in cooking
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any of various similar and related plants, such as fool's-parsley, stone parsley, and cow parsley
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of parsley
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
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.
Benedette Hardwick, the owner of the Red B Restaurant in Idabel, Okla., said the restaurant had temporarily stopped serving things like kale, parsley, green onion, raw broccoli, spinach and cilantro.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
It helps nurture a slower, older way of life, with pocket flocks and modest dairy herds enclosed by thick hedgerows foaming with cow parsley and twittering songbirds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026
Finish with a swirl of chili oil, fresh herbs — basil, parsley or dill — and a spoonful of yogurt or cream.
From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2026
Milk parsley, which grows in marshy habitats, was once widespread around Hornsea Mere, but has declined sharply in recent decades.
From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026
It arrived on an enormous wooden tray, scented and gleaming, with a sprig of parsley in its mouth and a carrot protruding from its rump, the whole reposing on a bed of tomatoes.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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.
