parsley

noun

pars·​ley ˈpär-slē 

: a European biennial herb (Petroselinum crispum) of the carrot family widely grown for its finely dissected curly or flat leaves which are used as an herb or garnish

also : the leaves

Examples of parsley in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Uncover and scatter parsley and basil over the dish before serving with sauce spooned over top. —Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2025

Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve warm with lemon wedges. —Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 10 June 2025

Fatty, melt-in-your-mouth tuna belly gets cut by the sharp vinegar and spice of pickled wasabi, and later freshened up with parsley. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2025

Many herbs have been shown to help support healthy blood pressure, including basil, garlic, parsley, ginger, cinnamon, celery seed, and thyme. —Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 28 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English persely, from Old English petersilie, from Vulgar Latin *petrosilium, alteration of Latin petroselinum, from Greek petroselinon, from petros stone + selinon celery

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing parsley

• Chinese parsley
• fool's parsley
• giant cow parsley
• Italian parsley

Rhymes for parsley

• sparsely

Kids Definition

parsley

noun

pars·​ley ˈpär-slē 

plural parsleys

: a European herb related to the carrot and widely grown for its finely divided leaves which are used to season or decorate foods

also : the leaves

Medical Definition

parsley

noun

pars·​ley ˈpär-slē 

: a southern European annual or biennial herb (Petroselinum crispum) of the carrot family having leaves which are used as a culinary herb or garnish and a root and seeds which have been used medicinally