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fennel

/ˈfɛnəl/ noun

Latin root: fēnuculum Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about fennel at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. Any of several aromatic herbs having edible seeds and leaves and stems.
  2. Aromatic bulbous stem base eaten cooked or raw in salads.
  3. Leaves used for seasoning.

Origin

From the Middle English fenel, from the late Old English finuðl, finule (weak feminine forms); fenol, finul (masculine forms), from Proto-West Germanic *fenukl, from the Vulgar Latin *fēnuclum, fēnoclum, from Late Latin fēnuculum, from the Classical Latin faeniculum, a diminutive form of faenum (“hay”); compare the Italian finocchio, the Occitan fenolh, the French fenouil, and the Spanish hinojo. Doublet of finocchio and finook.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)