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1. An aromatic herb (Anethum graveolens) in the parsley family, native to Eurasia, having finely dissected leaves and small yellow flowers clustered in umbels.
2. The leaves or seeds of this plant, used as a seasoning.
[Middle Englishdile, fromOld English; akin toMiddle DutchdilleandOld High Germantilliand perhaps ofwestern European substrate origin.]
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.