# parsley

Pronunciation: US say "PARS-lee" /ˈpɑː(ɹ)sli/; UK say "PAHS-lee" /ˈpɑːsli/

## Noun

1. The leaves of the herb Petroselinum crispum, used in Middle Eastern, European, and American cooking.
   - Simple: The green leaves of a small plant, used to add flavor to food or to decorate it.
   - _Tabbouleh calls for far more parsley than any other ingredient._
   - _He stirred a handful of flat-leaf parsley into the sauce just before serving._
2. The herb Petroselinum crispum, a bright green plant that lives for two years and comes in many cultivated varieties.
   - Simple: A small plant with bright green leaves that people grow and use in cooking.
   - _Parsley bolts in its second year, sending up flower stalks before setting seed._
   - _Gardeners often grow parsley as an annual, since the leaves turn bitter after the plant flowers._
3. Any of several herbs resembling parsley in appearance or use, such as cilantro (Chinese parsley) or chervil (French parsley).
   - Simple: Any plant with leaves that look and taste like parsley, such as cilantro or chervil.
   - _The market sells Chinese parsley next to the regular kind, and shoppers often mix them up._
   - _Add French parsley at the end of cooking, since its delicate flavor fades with heat._

## Verb

4. To add parsley to a dish, either as a garnish or as an ingredient.
   - Simple: To put parsley on food or add it while cooking.
   - _The recipe tells you to parsley the sauce generously at the end._
   - _She parsleyed the buttered new potatoes just before they left the kitchen._

## Origin

From Middle English persely, from Old French peresil, from Latin petroselīnum, from Ancient Greek πετροσέλῑνον (petrosélīnon, 'parsley'), a compound of πέτρος (pétros, 'rock, stone') and σέλῑνον (sélīnon, 'celery'). It displaced Old English petersiliġe, which goes back to the same root.

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