[ 'fɛn(ə)l ]
■ noun an aromatic yellow-flowered plant of the parsley family, whose feathery leaves are used as culinary herbs while the swollen leaf bases are eaten as a vegetable. [ Foeniculum vulgare , Ferula communis ( giant ~ ), and other species.]
Origin
OE finule , fenol , from L. faeniculum , dimin. of faenum 'hay'.