King James Bible Dictionary

This word is found only in Matthew 23:23. It is the plant commonly known by the name of dill, the Peucedanum graveolens of the botanist. This name dill is derived from a Norse word which means to soothe, the plant having the carminative property of allaying pain. The common dill, the Anethum graveolens, is an annual growing wild in the cornfields of Spain and Portugal and the south of Europe generally. There is also a species of dill cultivated in Eastern countries known by the name of shubit. It was this species of garden plant of which the Pharisees were in the habit of paying tithes. The Talmud requires that the seeds, leaves, and stem of dill shall pay tithes. It is an umbelliferous plant, very like the caraway, its leaves, which are aromatic, being used in soups and pickles. The proper anise is the Pimpinella anisum.

A seed, used as a condiment.
Matthew 23:23

This word occurs only in (Matthew 23:23) It is by no means a matter of certainty whether the anise (Pimpinella anisum , Lin.) or the dill (Anethum graveolens) is here intended though the probability is more in favor of the latter plant. "Anise is an annual plant growing to the height of one foot, carries a white flower, and blooms from June till August. The seeds are imported and used in large quantities on account of their aromatic and carminative properties. It grows wild in Egypt, in Syria, Palestine and all parts of the Levant. Among the ancients anise seems to have been a common pot-herb in every garden. Although it is less used in medicine by the moderns than by the ancients, it still retains its former reputation as an excellent stomachic, particularly for delicate women and young children. The Romans chewed it in order to keep up an agreeable moisture in the mouth and to sweeten the breath, while some Orientals still do the same." Dill, a somewhat similar plant, is an annual, bearing small aromatic seeds, used also for cookery and medicine.

AN'ISE, noun an'nis. [Latin anisum; Gr.]

An annual plant, placed by Linne under the genus Pimpinella. It grows naturally in Egypt, and is cultivated in Spain and Malta, whence the seeds are imported. The stalk rises a foot and a half high, dividing into slender branches, garnished with narrow leaves, cut into three or four narrow segments. The branches terminate in large loose umbels, composed of smaller umbels or rays, on long footstalks. The flowers are small and of a yellowish white; the seeds oblong and swelling. anise seeds have an aromatic smell, and a pleasant warm taste; they are useful in warming the stomach and expelling wind.

AN'ISE SEED, noun The seed of anise