dogfennel
|dog-fen-nel|
🇺🇸
/ˈdɔɡfɛnəl/
🇬🇧
/ˈdɒɡfɛnəl/
weedy, fennel-like plant
Etymology
'dogfennel' originates from English, specifically the compound 'dog' + 'fennel', where 'dog' was used pejoratively to mean 'inferior' or 'common' and 'fennel' (from Latin 'feniculum') referred to the fennel plant.
'fennel' comes from Latin 'feniculum', passed into Old English as 'fenol'/'fenel' and eventually 'fennel' in Modern English; the pejorative prefix 'dog-' was added in post-medieval English to form the compound 'dogfennel', referring to a fennel-like but lesser (weedy) plant.
Initially the elements indicated simply a fennel-like plant; over time 'dogfennel' came to refer specifically to certain weedy species (notably Eupatorium capillifolium) and more broadly to worthless fennel-like weeds.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a tall, weedy herb (commonly Eupatorium capillifolium) with feathery, thread-like leaves and small clustered flowers; common in fields and roadsides of eastern North America and often regarded as a weed.
The abandoned lot was choked with dogfennel by late summer.
Synonyms
Noun 2
any plant that resembles fennel but is considered worthless or weedy; used broadly for several unrelated fennel-like weeds.
Farmers pulled up the dogfennel that had spread through the pasture.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/12 00:31