celery

noun

cel·​ery ˈse-lə-rē 

ˈsel-rē

plural celeries

: a European herb (Apium graveolens) of the carrot family

specifically : one of a cultivated variety (A. graveolens var. dulce) with leafstalks eaten raw or cooked

Examples of celery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Water-rich foods such as watermelon, strawberries, oranges, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, lettuces, spinach, bell peppers and zucchini can also hydrate you as well as provide key vitamins and nutrients such as potassium, which helps muscles to contract and supports normal blood pressure. —Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2025

Turn leftovers into chicken salad sandwiches for lunch the next day: Simply pick the meat off the bones, chop the bok choy and mix it with some olive oil, lemon juice and chopped celery or fresh herbs. —The New York Times News Service Syndicate, The Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2025

Add fried tofu, celery, ginger, chile, green onion, soy sauce, crunchy garlic and sesame oil to pan. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2025

Sweet onion and celery: Provides a fragrant, tasty aromatic base of the soup. Carrots: Carrots add a natural sweetness that rounds out the sweet onion and the celery. —Renu Dhar, Southern Living, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French céleri (17th-century celeris, sceleri, Middle French scellerin), borrowed from an Upper Italian form (as Ligurian sèlarʼu, Lombard sèleri), altered from Vulgar Latin *selinum (Late Latin selīnon), borrowed from Greek sélīnon, perhaps from a pre-Greek substratal language

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing celery

• celery cabbage
• celery root
• wild celery

Kids Definition

celery

noun

cel·​ery ˈsel-(ə-)rē 

plural celeries

: a European herb related to the carrot and widely grown for the thick edible stems

also : the stems of celery used for food