perilla

noun

pe·​ril·​la pə-ˈri-lə How to pronounce perilla (audio)
: any of a genus (Perilla) of Asian mints that have a bilabiate fruiting calyx and rugose nutlets

Examples of perilla in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Its funky mysteries flicker in my brain until the perilla sorbet a couple of courses later washes it away. — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026 Red or purple perilla has a taste between licorice and cinnamon and is used primarily for flavoring and coloring drinks. — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 20 Mar. 2026 Expect drinks like an espresso tonic with yuja (Korean citrus) and perilla. — Elena Kadvany, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Aug. 2025 Begin at the front entrance to the art museum, where artist Ginger Brooks Takahashi created a garden using the perilla plant, exploring how it's used in different traditions across Asia. — Kristine Sorensen, CBS News, 22 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for perilla

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, genus name, of unknown origin

Note: Taxon introduced by Linnaeus in Genera plantarum, 6th edition, (Stockholm, 1764), p. 578. Linnaeus gives no source or explanation for the coinage. The name Perilla is known in Latin literature from poems addressed by Ovid to a real or pseudonymous "Perilla," though inscriptional evidence for such a given name in Rome is apparently lacking.

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of perilla was in 1900

Rhymes for perilla

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Browse Nearby Words

Perilampidae
perilla
perillaldehyde
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Cite this Entry

“Perilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perilla. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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