Fenugreek
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Any of the species leguminous plant, Trigonella foenum-graecum, eaten as a vegetable and with seeds used as a spice. uncountable, usually
"Fenugreek plant was introduced to Central Europe by Benedictine monks, and it is promoted in the 9th century by Charlemagne. It was grown extensively in the imperial gardens of Charlemagne (Popova, 2017)."
- 2 aromatic seeds used as seasoning especially in curry wordnet
- 3 The seeds of this plant, used as a spice (especially in Indian and Thai cooking). uncountable, usually
"Fenugreek’s nutritional and tonic properties have also been tapped since ancient times. […] Fenugreek-based preparations stimulate the appetite and promote weight gain in people with anemia, anorexia, tuberculosis or asthenia."
- 4 annual herb or southern Europe and eastern Asia having off-white flowers and aromatic seeds used medicinally and in curry wordnet
Example
More examples"Fenugreek plant was introduced to Central Europe by Benedictine monks, and it is promoted in the 9th century by Charlemagne. It was grown extensively in the imperial gardens of Charlemagne (Popova, 2017)."
Etymology
From Middle English fenygreke, fenegrek, from Old French fenugrec, fengrec, from Latin foenum-graecum, from foenum (“hay”, variant of faenum) + graecum (“Greek”, neuter form of graecus), literally “Greek hay”.
Related phrases
More for "fenugreek"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.