Anise

Forms: 4–5 anys, -eys, -eis, -ese, 4–7 anyse, 5 annys, -eys, -es, 6–8 annis, 7 anis, 7–8 annise, 7– anise. [a. Fr. anis:—L. anīsum, a. Gr. ἄνῑσον, in var. dial. forms ἄνησον, ἄνηθον, ἄνητον, under which the Greeks seem to have included the two plants Anise and Dill. When these were discriminated, the variants anīsum and anēthum were utilized in Latin to distinguish them. See ANET.]

  1.  An umbelliferous plant (Pimpinella Anīsum), a native of the Levant, cultivated for its aromatic and carminative seeds. Confused by the ancients with the Dill (Anēthum graveolens), which was probably the ‘anise’ of the Bible of 1611, where Wyclif has ‘anete’ [v.r. anese].

  Oil of Anise, the essential oil obtained from aniseed by distillation with water, the source of many important chemical derivatives; see ANIS-.

c. 1300.  in Wright, Lyric P., v. 26. The primerole he passeth, the parvenke of pris, With alisaundre thare-to, ache ant anys.

1382.  Wyclif, Matt. xxiii. 23. That tithen mente, anete [v.r. anese], and comyn. [1526 Tindale annyse, 1535 Coverdale anyse, 1611 annise.]

1398.  Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVII. x. (1495), 608. Anyse hath the same vertue that Anetum hath and is more swete in sauour.

c. 1400.  Apol. for Loll., 45. Mynt, aneis, & comyn.

1453.  in Heath, Grocers’ Comp. (1869), 422. Comyn and Anneys, y^e bale….iiij^d.

1551.  Turner, Herbal. (1568), 33. Anyse … maketh the breth sweter, swageth payne.

1605.  Timme, Quersit., I. xiii. 64. The oyles or sulphurs of annis … drive away windinesse.

1693.  Evelyn, De la Quint. Compl. Gard., II. 141. Anis, is propagated only by seed, which is pretty small, and … of a longish Oval Figure.

1861.  Delamer, Kitch. Gard., 122. Anise … whose seeds are much used by distillers to give flavour to cordial liqueurs.

1863.  Watts, Dict. Chem., I. 297. Oil of anise is a neutral, yellowish, somewhat syrupy liquid, possessing a peculiar aromatic smell and taste.

  2.  fig. in allusion to Matt. xxiii. 23.

1741.  Watts, Improv. Mind, xiv. § 8 (1801), 111. The mint, anise, and cumming, the gestures and vestures, and fringes of religion.

1841.  Gen. P. Thompson, Exerc., VI. 288. Knowledge which settles the anise and cummin of Greek accents.

  3.  Chinese or Star Anise, or Aniseed Tree: a shrub, Illicium anīsātum (N.O. Magnoliaceæ), the fruit of which has the odor, and is used instead, of anise.

1727.  Bradley, Fam. Dict., Anise of China or Siberia, is a Seed of about the same Form and Bigness as Coloquintida.

1838.  Penny Cycl., XII. 445. The aniseed tree of China, of which the fruit is … well known in commerce by the name of Star anise.

1858.  R. Hogg, Veg. Kingd., 23. The seed vessels are imported from China under the name of Chinese Anise … and from it a great portion of … Oil of Anise is obtained.

  4.  Comb., as anise-like; anise camphor, also called Anethol, one of the two constituents of Oil of Anise (see 1), a resinous substance crystallizing at a low temperature in soft, white, lustrous laminæ. Also ANISEED, q.v.

1863.  Watts, Dict. Chem., I. 297. Anethol or Anise-camphor.

1871.  M. Cooke, Fungi (1874), 86. Agaricus fragrans and A. odorus have a sweet anise-like odour.