First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English rose mary (by folk etymology, influenced by rose 1 and the name Mary ), from Latin rōs “dew” + marīnus “marine,” or rōs maris “dew of the sea” (in English the final -s mistaken for plural sign)
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The “charcoal forest room” includes hanging bags of dried mugwort from Korea that smell similar to rosemary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Forte Chocolates’ rosemary-orange caramels are another excellent small bite: honey caramel infused with rosemary, bright orange and a dash of salt, all enrobed in dark chocolate.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
He grows about 60 different crops, including herbs such as rosemary and thyme, heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers, and pick-your-own strawberries and flowers.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
I joyfully practice “urban foraging,” picking blackberries in the Presidio, collecting rosemary and ginkgo nuts under street trees, harvesting apples at the invitation of the trees’ vacationing owners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
I buried myself in Faith's sweet, rosemary scent and held on tight.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
Fedorenko's group found a way around that obstacle by working with Rosemary Varley, a neuroscientist at University College London who studies acquired language disorders, and her team.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
“That’s so sweet,” Rosemary said in response, , as Chris and Jennifer’s phones blew up with texts telling them about the panel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
The play only had its Broadway debut in 1999, in a production that starred Rosemary Harris and Lauren Bacall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The new investigation “raised concerns that some patients may have been denied medically necessary care,” said Rosemary Bartholomew, the lead author of the reports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
“One for him, too,” said Rosemary, indicating Armpit.
From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar
The Banded and the Silky Epeira, both of whom live on the rosemaries in the enclosure, shall show us in broad daylight the innermost details of the tragedy.
From The Wonders of Instinct Chapters in the Psychology of Insects by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos
We inspect the stunted rosemaries along the edge of a path sheltered by a rocky, wooded slope; we lift the branches that spread over the ground.
From The Life of the Spider by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos
The Banded and the Silky Epeira, both of whom live on the rosemaries in the enclosure, shall show us in broad day-light the innermost details of the tragedy.
From The Life of the Spider by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos
I know, from my past excavations, the points favoured by the grub: the mounds of sand heaped up by the wind at the foot of the rosemaries on the neighbouring hill-sides.
From More Hunting Wasps by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos
While the new inhabitants are twisting their ropes on the rosemaries in the enclosure, one evening, by the last gleams of twilight, I discover a splendid Spider, with a mighty belly, just outside my door.
From The Life of the Spider by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos
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.
