# oregano

Pronunciation: US say "uh-RE-guh-noh" /əˈɹɛɡənoʊ/; UK say "o-ri-GAH-noh" /ɒɹɪˈɡɑːnəʊ/

## Noun

1. The aromatic leaves of oregano plants, used fresh or dried as a seasoning in cooking.
   - Simple: Dried or fresh leaves used to give food a strong taste, especially in pizza and pasta.
   - _The recipe calls for a tablespoon of fresh oregano, chopped fine._
   - _Greek cooks scatter dried oregano over grilled meats and salads._
2. An aromatic herb of the mint family, Origanum vulgare, grown widely for its flavorful leaves.
   - Simple: A small plant with strong-smelling leaves that people grow for cooking.
   - _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._
3. Any of various other herbs with a similar flavor, including other Origanum species and the unrelated Mexican oregano, Lippia graveolens.
   - Simple: Any plant with leaves that taste like true oregano, such as the Mexican kind, used for cooking.
   - _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._

## 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.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/oregano (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).