cilantro
n.n. a green herb with a strong, fresh smell. It is used in many Mexican and Asian dishes to add a special flavor.
n. a herb of the parsley family, Coriandrum sativum, used as a culinary spice and garnish. The leaves are typically used fresh, while the seeds are dried and ground for seasoning.
I always add fresh cilantro to my salsa.
The chef sprinkled chopped cilantro over the finished dish to give it a bright, citrusy finish.
While some people find the scent of cilantro overwhelming, others consider it an essential ingredient for achieving the authentic flavor profile of traditional Latin American cuisine.
From Spanish cilantro, possibly from an unattested regional Vulgar Latin variant (with a front vowel) of Late Latin coliandrum, from Latin coriandrum (“coriander”). Doublet of coriander and culantro.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 19, 2026