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parsley family

A large family of aromatic herbs, the Apiaceae (or Umbelliferae), characterized by compound leaves and small flowers grouped in umbels, and including vegetables such as carrots, celery, dill, and parsley, spices such as anise, coriander, and cumin, and poisonous plants such as the water hemlocks.

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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