star anise

1. 1.

   small tree of China and Vietnam bearing anise-scented star-shaped fruit used in food and medicinally as a carminative

   SynonymsChinese aniseIllicium verum

   Broaderanise tree

   Part ofIllicium

   PartsChinese anise
2. 2.

   small shrubby tree of Japan and Taiwan; flowers are not fragrant

   SynonymsIllicium anisatum

   Broaderanise tree

   Part ofIllicium
3. 3.

   anise-scented star-shaped fruit or seed used in Asian cooking and medicine

   SynonymsChinese anisestar aniseed

   Broaderspice

   Part ofstar anise

Questions about star anise

What does star anise mean?

star anise means "small tree of China and Vietnam bearing anise-scented star-shaped fruit used in food and medicinally as a carminative". That is the primary sense; the word has 3 in total, listed in full on this page.

What is another word for star anise?

Close synonyms include Chinese anise, Illicium verum, Illicium anisatum, Chinese anise, star aniseed. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is star anise a common word?

star anise is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.