lovage

lov·age   (lŭv'ĭj)    n.  A Mediterranean perennial plant (Levisticum officinale) having edible leaves and leafstalks and small, aromatic, seedlike fruit used as seasoning. [Middle English, from Anglo-Norman luvesche, from Old English lufestice, from Medieval Latin levistica, from Late Latin levisticum, alteration of Latin ligusticum, from neuter of Ligusticus, Ligurian, from Ligurēs, the Ligurians.]

Main Entry: lov·age
Pronunciation: 'l&v-ij
Function: noun
: any of several aromatic perennial herbs of the carrot family; especially : a European herb (Levisticum officinale) sometimes cultivated for its rhizomes which are used as a carminative in domestic remedies, for its stalks and foliage which are used as apotherb, a substitute for celery, or a tea, for its seeds which are used for flavoring and in confectionery, and for its flowering tops which yield an oil used in flavoring and perfumery