Where does “parsley” come from?
Parsley comes from Middle English persely, from Old French peresil, from Latin petroselinum, from Ancient Greek πετροσέλινον, ultimately from Ancient Greek πέτρος meaning stone.
parsley (English): A bright green, biennial herb, "Petroselinum...
Definitions
- A bright green, biennial herb, "Petroselinum...
Ancestry of “parsley”, step by step
parsley traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English persely
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | persely | parsley or a similar plant |
| 2 | Old French | peresil | — |
| 3 | Latin | petroselīnum | rock parsley |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πετροσέλινον | parsley |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | Πέτρος | Peter |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | πέτρος | rock, stone, boulder; type of reed |
via English Passelewe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Passelewe | — |
| 2 | Old French | passer | to pass; to pass by |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | passare | to walk, pass; step, walk, pass; present active... |
| 4 | Latin | passus | spread out; dried; step |
| 5 | Latin | patior | I suffer, endure; I allow, acquiesce, permit,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₁- | to hate, hurt |