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rose·mar·y

(rōzmâr′ē)

n. pl. rose·mar·ies

1. An aromatic evergreen Mediterranean shrub (Rosmarinus officinalis) in the mint family, having light blue or pink flowers and narrow grayish-green leaves that are used in cooking and perfumery.

2. The leaves of this plant used as a seasoning.

[Alteration (probably influenced by ROSE¹ and MARY¹) of Middle English rosmarine, from Latin rōs marīnus, rōsmarīnum : rōs, dew (perhaps from the essential oil glands on the whitish underside of its leaves ) + marīnus, of the sea; see MARINE.]

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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