oregano
- 1The aromatic leaves of oregano plants, used fresh or dried as a seasoning in cooking.
The recipe calls for a tablespoon of fresh oregano, chopped fine.
Greek cooks scatter dried oregano over grilled meats and salads.
- 2An aromatic herb of the mint family, Origanum vulgare, grown widely for its flavorful leaves.
Oregano thrives in dry, sunny conditions much like those of its Mediterranean home.
She trimmed the oregano back before it could flower and turn bitter.
- 3Any of various other herbs with a similar flavor, including other Origanum species and the unrelated Mexican oregano, Lippia graveolens.
The oregano sold in Latin American markets is often Lippia graveolens rather than the Mediterranean herb.
Chili recipes from northern Mexico call for oregano with a citrusy edge that the European plant lacks.
Practice
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Origin
Recorded from the 18th century, it comes from Spanish orégano ('wild marjoram'), from Latin orīganum, in turn from Ancient Greek ὀρίγανον (oríganon). It is a doublet of origanum.