anise

Etymology

From Middle English anys, borrowed from Old French anis, from Latin anīsum, from Ancient Greek ἄνισον (ánison), from Egyptian jnst.

noun

1. An umbelliferous plant (Pimpinella anisum) growing naturally in Egypt, and cultivated in Spain, Malta, etc., for its carminative and aromatic seeds, which are used as a spice. It has a licorice scent.
2. (US, often qualified as "sweet anise" or "wild anise") Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare.
   […] of the butcherbirds which were perched on the electric wires skirting the road must be nesting birds, and that in the absence of trees or brush they must be nesting in some of the weeds along the highway, mostly anise (Foeniculum vulgare). 1934, The Gull (Golden Gate Audubon Society), volumes 16-29, page 25