Meanings
plural fenugreeks
- uncountableusuallyAny of the species leguminous plant, Trigonella foenum-graecum, eaten as a vegetable and with seeds used as a spice.
Fenugreek plant was introduced to Central Europe by Benedictine monks, and it is promoted in the 9th century by Charlemagne. It was grown extensively in the imperial gardens of Charlemagne (Popova, 2017).
2019, Muhammad Asif Hanif, Medicinal Plants of South Asia, Elsevier, →ISBN, page 260 - uncountableusuallyThe seeds of this plant, used as a spice (especially in Indian and Thai cooking).
Fenugreek’s nutritional and tonic properties have also been tapped since ancient times. […] Fenugreek-based preparations stimulate the appetite and promote weight gain in people with anemia, anorexia, tuberculosis or asthenia.
2000, B. Dave Oomah, Herbs, Botanicals and Teas, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 110Synonyms: methi
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe seeds of this plant, used as a spice (especially in Indian and Thai cooking).
More synonyms by meaning
nounannual herb or southern Europe and eastern Asia having off-white flowers and aromatic seeds used medicinally and in curry
nounaromatic seeds used as seasoning especially in curry
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁(y)-
- Latinfoenum
- Latingraecus
- Latinfoenum-graecum
- Old Frenchfenigrec
- Middle Englishfenygreke
- Englishfenugreek
Inherited from Middle English fenygreke, borrowed from Old French fenigrec, from Latin foenum-graecum (literally “Greek hay”), from foenum (“hay”, variant of faenum) + graecus (“Greek”).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek τῆλις, αἰγόκερας
- τῆλις (têlis)plant and vegetable
- αἰγόκερας (aigókeras)plant and vegetable
- βούκερας (boúkeras)plant and vegetable
Arabic حُلْبَة, حُلْبَة
- حُلْبَة (ḥulba)plant and vegetable
- حُلْبَة (ḥulba)spice
Bengali মেথি
- মেথি (methi)spice
Bulgarian сми́ндух, сми́ндух
- сми́ндух (smínduh)plant and vegetable
- сми́ндух (smínduh)spice
Catalan fenigrec, coleta
- fenigrecplant and vegetable
- coletaplant and vegetable
- fenigrecspice
- alfolbaspice
Chinese Mandarin 胡蘆巴 /胡芦巴
- 胡蘆巴 /胡芦巴 (húlúbā)spice
Danish bukkehorn
- bukkehornspice
Dutch honingklaver, fenegriek
- honingklaverspice
- fenegriekspice
Esperanto fenugreko, fenugreko
- fenugrekoplant and vegetable
- fenugrekospice
Estonian lambalääts, lambalääts
- lambaläätsplant and vegetable
- lambaläätsspice
Finnish sarviapila, rohtosarviapila
- sarviapilaplant and vegetable
- rohtosarviapilaplant and vegetable
- sarviapilaspice
- rohtosarviapilaspice
French fenugrec, senègre
- fenugrecplant and vegetable
- senègreplant and vegetable
- senegréplant and vegetable
- fenugrecspice
German Bockshornklee, Bockshornklee
- Bockshornkleeplant and vegetable
- Bockshornkleespice
- Bockshornkleesamenspice
Greek τριγωνέλλα, νυχάκι
- τριγωνέλλα (trigonélla)spice
- νυχάκι (nycháki)spice
Hebrew חִלְבָּה
- חִלְבָּה (khilbá)plant and vegetable
Hindi मेथी
- मेथी (methī)spice
Hungarian görögszéna, görögszéna
- görögszénaplant and vegetable
- görögszénaspice
Indonesian kelabat
- kelabatspice
Irish seamair Ghréagach, feinigréag
- seamair Ghréagachplant and vegetable
- feinigréagspice
Italian trigonella
- trigonellaspice
Japanese フェヌグリーク
- フェヌグリーク (fenugurīku)spice
Korean 호로파
- 호로파 (horopa)spice
Latin foenum-graecum, carphos
- foenum-graecumplant and vegetable
- carphosplant and vegetable
- telisplant and vegetable
Malay halba
- halbaspice
Norwegian bukkehornkløver
- bukkehornkløverspice
Norwegian Bokmål bukkehornkløver
- bukkehornkløverplant and vegetable
Persian شنبلیله, شنبلیله
- شنبلیله (šanbalile)plant and vegetable
- شنبلیله (šanbalile)spice
Polish kozieradka, kozieradka
- kozieradkaplant and vegetable
- kozieradkaspice
Portuguese feno-grego, alforba
- feno-gregospice
- alforbaspice
- alfarvaspice
Punjabi ਮੇਥੀ
- ਮੇਥੀ (methī)spice
Romanian schinduf, fenugrec
- schindufplant and vegetable
- fenugrecspice
- fân grecescspice
- schindufspice
Russian па́житник, шамбала́
- па́житник (pážitnik)plant and vegetable
- шамбала́ (šambalá)plant and vegetable
- чама́н (čamán)plant and vegetable
- фенугре́к (fenugrék)plant and vegetable
- па́житник (pážitnik)spice
- шамбала́ (šambalá)spice
- чама́н (čamán)spice
- фенугре́к (fenugrék)spice
Spanish fenogreco, alholva
- fenogrecoplant and vegetable
- alholvaplant and vegetable
- alholvaspice
- fenogrecospice
Swahili uwatu
- uwatuspice
Swedish bockhornsklöver, bockhornsklöver
- bockhornsklöverplant and vegetable
- bockhornsklöverspice
Tamil வெந்தயம்
- வெந்தயம் (ventayam)spice
Thai ลูกซัด
- ลูกซัด (lûuk-sát)spice
Turkish çemenotu, çemen
- çemenotuplant and vegetable
- çemenplant and vegetable
- boy otuplant and vegetable
- boy tohumuspice
- çemen tohumuspice
- çemenspice
Urdu میتھی
- میتھی (methī)spice
Welsh groegwyran, ffenigrig
- groegwyranplant and vegetable
- ffenigrigspice
- groegwyranspice
Cite this entry
fenugreek. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fenugreek
“fenugreek.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fenugreek. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fenugreek,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fenugreek.
Source: fenugreek on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.