The small, aromatic seed of the anise plant, with a licorice-like flavor, used as a spice and in cooking and herbal medicine.
From 'anis' (the plant, from Latin 'anisum') + 'seed.' The compound term became standard English by the Middle Ages, referring to both the botanical seed and its culinary use.
Aniseed has been traded like gold for thousands of years—ancient Egyptians used it in embalming, Romans taxed it heavily, and today it's still one of the world's most traded spices!
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