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pim·per·nel

(pĭmpər-nĕl′, -nəl)

Any of various plants of the genus Anagallis, having opposite leaves and flowers with a five-lobed calyx, especially the scarlet pimpernel.

[Middle English pimpernelle, from Old French, alteration of piprenelle, from Late Latin pimpinella, perhaps from Latin piper, pepper; see PEPPER.]

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pimpernel

scarlet pimpernel

Anagallis arvensis

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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