anise
nounUK /ˈæn.ɪs/ · US /ˈæn.ɪs/
Etymology From Middle English anys, borrowed from Old French anis, from Latin anīsum, from Ancient Greek ἄνισον (ánison), from Egyptian jnst.
1
An umbelliferous plant (Pimpinella anisum) growing naturally in Egypt, and cultivated in Spain, Malta, etc., for its carminative and aromatic seeds, which are used as a spice. It has a licorice scent.
- A concoction consisting of saffron, orange blossoms, dried dates, anise, wild carrots, and egg yolk, boiled in clear water into which honey and the blood of two freshly killed doves have been poured, is recommended by Arabs as a sexual inducement.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 212:
2
US Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare.
Often qualified as "sweet anise" or "wild anise"
- […] of the butcherbirds which were perched on the electric wires skirting the road must be nesting birds, and that in the absence of trees or brush they must be nesting in some of the weeds along the highway, mostly anise (Foeniculum vulgare).1934, The Gull (Golden Gate Audubon Society), volumes 16-29, page 25
- Synonyms
- anix
- Derived terms
- aniseed, anise hyssop, aniselike, aniseroot, anise seed, anisette, anisey, anisic, anisole, Chinese anise, Florida anise, star anise, star of anise, sweet anise, wild anise
- Related terms
- five-spice powder, mastika, ouzo, raki