Fennel
/ˈfɛn.əl/noun
A fragrant plant of the parsley family with feathery leaves and yellow flowers, used as a herb and spice.
Did you know?Fennel’s name ultimately comes from Latin *feniculum*, a diminutive of *fenum* (“hay”), so this “mystical herb” began life as a word for something as ordinary as dried grass.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰeh₁-
“to put, place, or set”
Latin
Latin
fenum
“hay”
Latin
Latin
feniculum
“little hay; fennel”
Old French
OF
fenoil
“fennel”
Middle English
ME
fenel
“fennel”
Modern English
English
fennel
“the aromatic herb Foeniculum vulgare”