aniseed oil
- noun
- /ˈænɪsiːd ɔɪl/
:
aceite de anís
- The recipe calls for a few drops of aniseed oil.
Examples
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Many candies are flavored with aniseed oil to give them a licorice taste.
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Pharmaceutical cough syrups sometimes contain aniseed oil as an ingredient.
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A drop of aniseed oil can enhance the flavor of baked goods.
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I love the smell of aniseed oil in the kitchen.
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A drop of aniseed oil can enhance the flavor of baked goods.
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Many candies are flavored with aniseed oil to give them a licorice taste.
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Pharmaceutical cough syrups sometimes contain aniseed oil as an ingredient.
Synonyms
A strong-smelling oil from small seeds used to flavor food and soothe stomachs
A strong, sweet oil from anise seeds used to flavour sweets and medicine
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an essential oil obtained from the seeds of the anise plant' is directly and transparently composed from 'aniseed' (the seeds with a licorice flavor) + 'oil' (a plant-derived liquid), so the overall concept is a literal product of the two words. This type of noun+noun compounding is productive and cross-linguistically common (e.g., Spanish 'aceite de anís'), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Aniseed oil comes from the tiny seeds of the aniseed plant and the oil that is pressed out when the seeds are crushed. The seeds give a strong 'licorice-like' smell and taste, so aniseed oil today means the strong-smelling oil from anise seeds used to flavor sweets and medicines.
