Dill #
Illustration of Anethum graveolens L. from Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen (1887)
Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) is a culinary spice and herb from the Apiaceae family,1 originating in the region(s) of Nort Africa; West Asia.2 It is used for its fruit and leaf, primarily for pickles, fish, breads; gripe. Its aroma is described as bitter-sweet, cool, with a heat index of 1.3
| English | Arabic | Chinese | Hungarian |
|---|---|---|---|
| dill | شبت | 蒔蘿 | kapor |
Overview #
| id | dill |
|---|---|
| species name | Anethum graveolens L. |
| family | Apiaceae |
| part used | fruit; leaf |
| macroarea | Med.; W. Asia |
| region of origin | Nort Africa; West Asia |
| cultivation | India |
| color | greyish brown |
| botanical database | POWO |
Etymologies #
English dill, Germanic word of uncertain origin, a. 700; cf. cognates Old Low German dilli, Dutch dille, Old High German tilli, Middle High German tille, German dill, dille, Danish dild, Swedish dill
Arabic شبت shibitt ‘dill’ < Aramaic šəḇettā ‘dill’; cf. cognates Hebrew šéḇeṯ; Persian ševid < Akkadian šibittu ‘dill’
Mandarin Chinese 蒔蘿 shíluó ‘dill’, 1008 < Persian zīra ‘dill’, distantly related to Sanskrit jīraka (zire-ye siyāh [black cumin ] ‘caraway’; zire-ye sabz [green cumin ] ‘cumin’); cf. cognates Sogdian zyr’kk /zîrê/; Persian zīra; Hindi-Urdu zīrā < or Sanskrit जीर jīra ‘dill’; cf. Hindi जीरा jīrā; English jeera
Names #
English #
| term | source |
|---|---|
| dill | OED |
| dill-seed | OED |
| Indian dill | Van Wyk, 2014 |
Arabic #
| script | term | literal | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| شبث | shibithth | Lane, 1863 |
Chinese #
| script | term | literal | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 蒔蘿 | shíluó | dill-turnip | |
| 土茴香 | tǔhuíxiāng | earth-fennel |
POWO. (2022). Plants of the World Online (Botanical Database). Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/ ↩︎
van Wyk, B.-E. (2014). Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World. University of Chicago Press, joint publication with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226091839.001.0001 ↩︎
Medicinal Spices Exhibit. (2002). UCLA Biomedical Library: History & Special Collections. https://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/biomed/spice/index.cfm?spicefilename=taste.txt&itemsuppress=yes&displayswitch=0 ↩︎