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pars·ley

(pärslē)

n. pl. pars·leys

1. A member of the parsley family.

a. A cultivated Eurasian herb (Petroselinum crispum) having edible, flat or curled, finely divided leaves.

b. The leaves of this plant used as a seasoning or garnish.

[Middle English persely, from Old English petersilie and Old French persil, both ultimately from Late Latin petresilium, alteration of Latin petroselīnum, from Greek petroselīnon : petrā, rock; see per-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + selīnon, celery.]

(click for a larger image)

parsley

curly(left) and flat-leaf parsley (right)

Petroselinum crispum

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

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:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

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.

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