anise Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun native to Egypt but cultivated widely for its aromatic seeds and the oil from them used medicinally and as a flavoring in cookery
    Pimpinella anisum; anise plant.
  2. noun liquorice-flavored seeds, used medicinally and in cooking and liquors
    anise seed; aniseed.

WordNet

An"ise noun
Etymology
OE. anys, F. anis, L. anisum, anethum, fr. Gr. , .
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) An umbelliferous plant (Pimpinella anisum) growing naturally in Egypt, and cultivated in Spain, Malta, etc., for its carminative and aromatic seeds.
  2. The fruit or seeds of this plant.

Webster 1913