perilla

noun

pe·​ril·​la pə-ˈri-lə 

: any of a genus (Perilla) of Asian mints that have a bilabiate fruiting calyx and rugose nutlets

Examples of perilla in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Its funky mysteries flicker in my brain until the perilla sorbet a couple of courses later washes it away. —Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026

Her Perilla Yuja Soju and Tonic is a twist on the classic G&T using yuja (also known as yuzu) juice and a syrup made with fragrant perilla leaves to imbue the drink with a bright, grassy anise flavor. —Heather Riske, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 May 2025

Starters include delicious ‘cheese balls’ or pan frito, made with cotija cheese, serrano chile, chestnut butter and pine thistle, a wagyu tri-tip kebab + perilla leaf, blue prawn tostada and a sea urchin stew. —Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025

Downtown, Moon Rabbit offers a modern take on traditional Vietnamese flavors; the lemongrass-marinated Wagyu wrapped in perilla leaves is one favorite. —Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, genus name, of unknown origin

Note: Taxon introduced by Linnaeus in Genera plantarum, 6th edition, (Stockholm, 1764), p. 578. Linnaeus gives no source or explanation for the coinage. The name Perilla is known in Latin literature from poems addressed by Ovid to a real or pseudonymous "Perilla," though inscriptional evidence for such a given name in Rome is apparently lacking.

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for perilla

• axilla
• flotilla
• gorilla
• guerilla
• guerrilla
• manilla
• mantilla
• maxilla
• mesilla
• papilla
• priscilla
• scintilla