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anise[an´is] Pronunciation Key, annual plant (Pimpinella anisum) of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), native to the Mediterranean region but long cultivated elsewhere for its aromatic and medicinal qualities. It has flat-topped clusters of small yellow or white flowers that become seedlike fruits : the aniseed of commerce, used in food flavoring. Anise oil is derived from the seeds and sometimes from the leaves; it is also obtained from the star anise, an unrelated woody plant. The oil, composed chiefly of anethole, is used in medicinals, dentifrices, perfumes, beverages, and, in drag hunting, to scent a trail for dogs in the absence of a fox. The anise of the Bible (Mat. 23.23) is dill, a plant of the same family. Anisette is an anise-flavored liqueur. Anise is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Apiales, family Umbelliferae.
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