Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A Eurasian plant (Trigonella foenum-graecum) in the pea family, having white flowers and trifoliolate leaves. Its mildly bitter seeds and aromatic leaves are used as flavorings.
  • noun The seeds or leaves of this plant.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The Trigonella Fænum-græcum, an annual leguminous plant indigenous to western Asia, but widely naturalized, and extensively cultivated in Asia, Africa, and some parts of Europe. The mucilaginous seeds are used as food, and also in medicine. Also fænugreek.
  • noun See fenugreek.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Bot.) A plant (trigonella Fœnum Græcum) cultivated for its strong-smelling seeds, which are.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A spice made from the seeds of Trigonella foenum-graecum, used in Indian and Thai cooking.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun aromatic seeds used as seasoning especially in curry
  • noun annual herb or southern Europe and eastern Asia having off-white flowers and aromatic seeds used medicinally and in curry

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English fenigrek, from Old French fenegrec, from Latin fēnugraecum, from fēnum Graecum : fēnum, hay; see fennel + Graecum, neuter of Graecus, Greek; see Greek.]

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Examples

  • SASHREE said ... thanks for visiting my site trupti, nice gujju dokhla. .i luv besan dokhlas. .but fenugreek is a new one for me

    Gujarati Series - Chora Daal-Fenugreek Dhokla Cardamom 2008

  • Her fascinating post explains the variety of ways that fenugreek is used as food: seeds, fresh greens, and dried greens.

    Archive 2008-05-01 Laurie Constantino 2008

  • Her fascinating post explains the variety of ways that fenugreek is used as food: seeds, fresh greens, and dried greens.

    Weekend Herb Blogging Roundup for May 5 - 11, 2008 Laurie Constantino 2008

  • The combination of carrots and fenugreek is a popular North-Indian dish.

    Archive 2007-04-01 Nupur 2007

  • Dried fenugreek is another herb which adds an instant authenticity to paneer dishes.

    Archive 2006-02-01 Nupur 2006

  • (The word fenugreek comes from the Latin for “Greek hay;” in Greece it’s called Trigoniskos – Τριγωνίσκος.)

    Weekend Herb Blogging Roundup for May 5 - 11, 2008 Laurie Constantino 2008

  • (The word fenugreek comes from the Latin for “Greek hay;” in Greece it’s called Trigoniskos – Τριγωνίσκος.)

    Archive 2008-05-01 Laurie Constantino 2008

  • But Ella, who had put her flat on the market and more or less moved in with him, wanted ginger and garlic and something called fenugreek for what she planned to cook that evening, and this was the only place he knew for certain he could get them.

    Portobello Ruth Rendell 2010

  • Methi is the Indian name for the plant that produces the seeds called fenugreek when they're used as a spice.

    Archive 2009-06-01 Kalyn Denny 2009

  • Methi is the Indian name for the plant that produces the seeds called fenugreek when they're used as a spice.

    Friday Night Photos: 2009 Garden Update #4 - Little Tomatoes, Veggies, and Herbs Kalyn Denny 2009

Comments

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  • a spice made from ground seeds, commonly used in Indian curry dishes.

    February 6, 2007

  • *hork*

    November 12, 2010

  • Hork if you like. It is also used as an herbal supplement by women who need to increase their milk supply.

    November 12, 2010

  • Oh, well in that case....

    *hork*

    November 12, 2010

  • Does it actually work?

    November 12, 2010

  • Horking?

    November 12, 2010

  • *chortle*

    November 12, 2010

  • I never tried it. My lactation consultant told me that in her experience working with nursing moms over the years, it hasn't usually resulted in gaining more than around an ounce a day--and while that sounds like a lot, if you're struggling to produce enough milk for your baby, there are other methods that seem to work better for more people. Of course, some women swear by it, so... *shrug*

    November 16, 2010

  • I don't know anything about lactating or consulting, but I sure do like this word.

    Plinth.

    Fenugreek.

    Plinth.

    Fenugreek.

    November 16, 2010

  • Don't get me wrong--I have no problem with lactation, consultants, plinths, or even the word "fenugreek." It's the taste of fenugreek that makes me want to hork.

    November 16, 2010

  • I like the dried leaves you get with Indian food.

    November 16, 2010

  • I don't see how you can put "fenugreek" in the same class as "plinth", reesetee. With "plinth" the delight is the physical sensation of saying the word, whereas "fenugreek" can be savored silently.

    November 17, 2010

  • Isn't this what the dead father on "Six Feet Under" liked to eat in the afterlife? Or maybe it was pasta with fenugreek,

    yum. pasta.

    November 18, 2010

  • I delight in the physical sensation of saying "plinth" and "fenugreek," mollusque. Just stand a bit farther away so you're not spit upon. ;-)

    November 21, 2010