parsley

American  

[pahr-slee] / ˈpɑr sli /

noun

1. 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.

2. the leaves of this plant, used to garnish or season food.

3. any of certain allied or similar plants.

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adjective

1. Also parslied, parsleyed cooked or garnished with parsley.

   parsley potatoes.

parsley British  

/ ˈpɑːslɪ /

noun

1. a S European umbelliferous plant, Petroselinum crispum, widely cultivated for its curled aromatic leaves, which are used in cooking

2. any of various similar and related plants, such as fool's-parsley, stone parsley, and cow parsley

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Other Word Forms

• parsleylike adjective

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

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

John Barnard, a wetland specialist, said: "There are historical records of swallowtails right across East Yorkshire. So bringing milk parsley back basically puts things in place for where they originally lived."

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

The mixture is seasoned with herbs, like thyme and parsley, and poured into a casserole dish.

From Salon • Feb. 20, 2026

The 9-year-old paralyzed in a grocery store aisle, unable to tell parsley from cilantro, whose parents can no longer risk leaving home to shop.

From Slate • Jan. 29, 2026

He wears an apron over his clothes, and is busily plucking leaves from an excessively large bunch of parsley.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri