Adjacent Words

Fenugreek definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FEN'UGREEK, n. [L. faenum graecum.] A plant of the genus Trigonella.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: annual herb or southern Europe and eastern Asia having off- white flowers and aromatic seeds used medicinally and in curry [syn: fenugreek, Greek clover, Trigonella foenumgraecum]
2: aromatic seeds used as seasoning especially in curry [syn: fenugreek, fenugreek seed]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English fenugrek, from Anglo-French fenugrec, from Latin fenum Graecum, literally, Greek hay Date: 14th century a leguminous annual Eurasian herb (Trigonella foenum-graecum) with aromatic seeds; also its seeds

Britannica Concise

Slender, annual, herbaceous legume (Trigonella foenum-graecum) or its dried seeds, used as a food, a flavoring, and a medicine. Native to S Europe and the Mediterranean, the plant is cultivated in central and SE Europe, W Asia, India, and N Africa. The seeds smell and taste strong, sweetish, and somewhat bitter, like burnt sugar. Mealy in texture, they may be mixed with flour for bread or eaten raw or cooked. The herb is a characteristic ingredient in some curries and chutneys and is used to make imitation maple syrup.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a leguminous plant, Trigonella foenum-graecum, having aromatic seeds. 2 these seeds used as flavouring, esp. ground and used in curry powder. Etymology: OE fenogrecum, superseded in ME f. OF fenugrec f. L faenugraecum (fenum graecum Greek hay), used by the Romans as fodder

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fenugreek Fen"u*greek (? or ?), n. [L. faenum Graecum, lit., Greek hay: cf. F. fenugrec. Cf. Fennel.] (Bot.) A plant (trigonella F[oe]num Gr[ae]cum) cultivated for its strong-smelling seeds, which are ``now only used for giving false importance to horse medicine and damaged hay.'' --J. Smith (Pop. Names of Plants, 1881).