celery

noun

cel·​ery ˈse-lə-rē 

ˈsel-rē

plural celeries

: a European herb (Apium graveolens) of the carrot family

specifically : one of a cultivated variety (A. graveolens var. dulce) with leafstalks eaten raw or cooked

Examples of celery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Carefully stir in the cooled potatoes, pickles, celery, and eggs. —Gretchen McKay, Boston Herald, 18 June 2025

Mixed lightly with Japanese mayo, celery and onion, with just a kiss of citrus, the lobster roll here is the perfect accompaniment to some of their boozy and well-crafted cocktails. —Kaitlyn Rosati, New York Daily News, 18 June 2025

Silence was better than the chaos that had broken out Tuesday when immigration agents raided fields in Oxnard and fanned out across communities in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties that grow a considerable portion of the state’s strawberries, avocados and celery. —Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2025

At Smithereens in New York’s East Village, a celery float has been on the menu since opening day in late 2024. —Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French céleri (17th-century celeris, sceleri, Middle French scellerin), borrowed from an Upper Italian form (as Ligurian sèlarʼu, Lombard sèleri), altered from Vulgar Latin *selinum (Late Latin selīnon), borrowed from Greek sélīnon, perhaps from a pre-Greek substratal language

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing celery

• celery cabbage
• celery root
• wild celery

Kids Definition

celery

noun

cel·​ery ˈsel-(ə-)rē 

plural celeries

: a European herb related to the carrot and widely grown for the thick edible stems

also : the stems of celery used for food