Rosemary is a herb used in cooking. It comes from an evergreen plant with small narrow leaves. The plant is also called rosemary.
rosemary in British English
(ˈrəʊzmərɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-maries
an aromatic European shrub, Rosmarinus officinalis, widely cultivated for its grey-green evergreen leaves, which are used in cookery for flavouring and yield a fragrant oil used in the manufacture of perfumes: family Lamiaceae (labiates). It is the traditional flower of remembrance
Word origin
C15: earlier rosmarine, from Latin rōs dew + marīnus marine; modern form influenced by folk etymology, as if rose1 + Mary
Rosemary in American English
(ˈroʊzˌmɛri; ˈroʊzməri)
noun
a feminine name
: var. Rosemarie (ˌroʊzməˈri)
Word origin
see rosemary
rosemary in American English
(ˈroʊzˌmɛri)
noun
an evergreen herb (Rosmarinus officinalis) of the mint family, native to the Mediterranean region, with clusters of small, light-blue flowers and leaves that yield a fragrant essential oil, used in perfumes, in cooking, etc.
Word origin
altered (after rose1 & Mary1) < earlier rosmarine < L ros marinus (also ros maris), lit., dew of the sea < ros, dew (< IE *rosā < *eres, to flow: see race1) + marinus, marine