fennel

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fen·nel / ˈfenl/ • n. an aromatic yellow-flowered European plant (Foeniculum vulgare) of the parsley family, with feathery leaves. The seeds and leaves of the perennial fennel are used as culinary herbs. The swollen leaf bases of sweet fennel , an annual, are eaten as a vegetable.ORIGIN: Old English finule, fenol, from Latin faeniculum, diminutive of faenum ‘hay.’

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