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Glite Dictionary
anethole

anethole

9.6
A sweet-smelling substance used to give flavor to licorice, anise, or fennel
  • noun
  • /əˈnɛθoʊl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : anetol
  • Anethole has also been found to have antifungal and antibacterial properties according to Nutrition You Can.

Examples

  • There is one, anethole, that has shown in animal studies to help with the reduction of inflammation and help prevent cancer.

    Blog text (18)

  • Many confectioneries use anethole to create a distinctive sweet flavor.

  • Anethole is the main flavor compound in products like anethole, licorice and anise.

  • Anethole contributes to the aromatic profile of fennel and similar herbs.

Synonyms

anise camphor
vsanethole
  • Specialized
8.2

A sweet-smelling substance used to give food and drinks a licorice taste

is the alternative name for the same flavoring compound

Surface Forms

anethole singular
anetholes plural

Morphology

anethole = anise (semi-transparent) = aneth + ole

The word is recognizably connected to 'anise' (so learners can infer it is a substance from that plant), but the chemical suffix '-ole' is technical and does not make the exact meaning fully predictable for B1 learners.

Etymology

Anethole comes from the spice anise and the chemical ending -ol, so the name points to a substance from anise. So anethole is the 'anise' part that gives licorice, fennel, and many drinks their sweet smell and taste.