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car·a·way

(kărə-wā′)

1. A biennial Eurasian herb (Carum carvi) in the parsley family, having finely divided leaves and clusters of small, white or pinkish flowers.

2. The seedlike fruit of this plant, widely used as a flavoring and seasoning in various foods. Also called caraway seed.

[Middle English carewei, from Old French carvi, caroi, probably from Medieval Latin carvi, carwi, ultimately from Arabic karawyā, from Greek karō.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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