coriander

noun — 2 senses

coriander

noun

UK /ˌkɒ.ɹiˈæn.də/ · US /ˈkɔ.ɹiˌæn.dɚ/

Etymology

From Middle English coriandre, from Anglo-Norman coriandre, from Old French corïandre, from Latin coriandrum, from Ancient Greek κορίανδρον (koríandron), of uncertain origin. Doublet of cilantro. cognates, etc. Compare Ancient Greek κορίαννον (koríannon), κορίαμβλον (koríamblon), Mycenaean Greek 𐀒𐀪𐁀𐀅𐀙 (ko-ri-a2-da-na), 𐀒𐀪𐀊𐀅𐀙 (ko-ri-ja-da-na), 𐀒𐀪𐀊𐀈𐀜 (ko-ri-ja-do-no), 𐀒𐀪𐀍𐀅𐀙 (ko-ri-jo-da-na), Akkadian 𒌑𒄷𒌷𒌝 (^úḫurium) Aramaic כסברה (kusbara, “coriander”), Classical Syriac ܟܽܘܣܒܰܪܬܳܐ (kūsbartā, “coriander”) and Arabic كُزْبَرَة (kuzbara). Beekes supposes that cluster -dn- implies a Pre-Greek word, and hypothesizes that *koriaⁿdro- may have dissimilated to *koriaⁿdno-.

1

Ireland, UK, Usually The annual herb Coriandrum sativum, used in many cuisines.

  • The life of one plant would be affected by another. Rue was definitely hostile to basil, rosemary to hyssop, but coriander, dill and chervil lived on the friendliest of terms[.]1940, Rosetta E. Clarkson, Green Enchantments: The Magic Spell of Gardens, The Macmillan Company, page 253:
  • Tobacco and the plant valerian are also considered to be anaphrodisiac in their effects, diminishing sexual inclination. Also vinegar, dried coriander, potassium bromide, cocaine, vervain, acid drinks, lemonade.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 11:
2

US, Usually The dried fruits thereof, used as a spice.

Synonyms
Chinese parsley, coriander seeds, dhania
Derived terms
Bolivian coriander, Burmese coriander, coriandered, coriander seed, Lao coriander, Mexican coriander, sawtooth coriander, spiny coriander, Vietnamese coriander
Meronyms
cilantro, in other dialects, this, too, like the rest of the plant, is called coriander

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.