tarragon

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A perennial herb, the wormwood species Artemisia dracunculus, from Europe and parts of Asia.
  2. The leaves of this plant (either fresh, or preserved in a vinegar/oil mixture) used as a seasoning.

Pronunciation

/ˈtæɹəɡɑn/ /ˈtæɹəɡən/ /ˈtɛɹəɡɑn/ /ˈtɛɹəɡən/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-tarragon.wav

Word forms

tarragon tarragons

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French targon (cf. modern estragon), from Medieval Latin tragonia, from Arabic طَرْخُون (ṭarḵūn), ultimately from Ancient Greek δρακόντιον (drakóntion, “dragonwort, Dracunculus vulgaris”), from δράκων (drákōn, “dragon, serpent”). Doublet of estragon.

Synonyms

estragon dragon's wort French tarragon Russian tarragon silky wormwood wild tarragon

Derived words

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.