sarsaparilla

noun

sar·​sa·​pa·​ril·​la ˌsa-spə-ˈri-lə How to pronounce sarsaparilla (audio)
ˌsär-, 
-ˈre- How to pronounce sarsaparilla (audio)
ˌsa-sə-pə-, 
ˌsär-sə-pə-
1
a
: any of various tropical American greenbriers
b
: the dried roots of a sarsaparilla used especially as a flavoring
2
: any of various plants (such as wild sarsaparilla) that resemble or are used as a substitute for sarsaparilla
3
: a sweetened carbonated beverage flavored with sassafras and oil distilled from a European birch

Examples of sarsaparilla 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.
Forest floor, dark cherries, cola spice, sappy tannins, and a nod in the direction of cigar humidor linger with hints of sarsaparilla through the long finish. — Brian Freedman, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024 Ground coffee beans, sarsaparilla, honey, tobacco, and black silt clay come together to completely purify. — ELLE, 13 June 2023 That spirit s macerated for two weeks with 21 botanicals including poppy seed, gentian, juniper berry, kola nut, licorice root, and sarsaparilla. — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2026 Alcohol will not be served at the restaurant, but guests can order juices, lassi, rose milk, masala chai tea, madras coffee and traditional nannari sharbath, an iced drink made from lemon juice and Indian sarsaparilla. — Hannah Kirby, jsonline.com, 16 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sarsaparilla

Word History

Etymology

Spanish zarzaparrilla, from zarza bush + parrilla, diminutive of parra vine

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of sarsaparilla was in 1577

Phrases Containing sarsaparilla

Rhymes for sarsaparilla

See All Rhymes for sarsaparilla

Browse Nearby Words

SARS
sarsaparilla
Sarsar
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sarsaparilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sarsaparilla. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

sarsaparilla

noun
sar·​sa·​pa·​ril·​la ˌsas-(ə-)pə-ˈril-ə How to pronounce sarsaparilla (audio)
ˌsärs-
1
: the dried roots of any of several tropical American woody plants used especially as a flavoring
also : a plant that produces sarsaparilla
2
: a sweetened carbonated beverage flavored with sassafras and an oil from a birch

Medical Definition

sarsaparilla

noun
sar·​sa·​pa·​ril·​la ˌsas-(ə-)pə-ˈril-ə How to pronounce sarsaparilla (audio) ˌsärs- How to pronounce sarsaparilla (audio)
-ˈrel-
1
a
: any of various tropical American plants of the genus Smilax
b
: any of various plants (as wild sarsaparilla, Aralia nudicaulis) that resemble or are used as a substitute for the sarsaparillas
2
a
: the dried roots of any of several sarsaparillas of the genus Smilax (especially S. aristolochiifolia, S. officinalis, and S. ornata) used now especially as a flavoring and formerly for the diaphoretic, expectorant, and laxative effects of the saponins found in them and without curative effect in the treatment of syphilis
b
: the roots of wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) used similarly

More from Merriam-Webster on sarsaparilla

Nglish: Translation of sarsaparilla for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sarsaparilla

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All