Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

rosemary

/ˈɹoʊzˌmɛəɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.57 in modern English

Syllables: rose-mary
IPA: /ˈɹoʊzˌmɛəɹi/

13

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A shrub, Salvia rosmarinus (formerly Rosmarinus officinalis), that originates from Europe and Asia Minor and produces a fragrant herb used in cooking and perfumes.

Uncountable

name

A female given name from Latin.

Example Sentences

""And you - you darling!" - addressing the astonished Rosemary - "will you love your grandmamma? Kiss me, my child." - - - "Oh, you tell fibs!" cried the child. "My name is Rose Marie Romarin - is it not, Grandpa?""
"Rosemary. A sweet dark name, though finally a shrill trite woman."

Etymology

From Middle English rosmary, rosemarye, alteration (based on rose + Mary) of earlier Middle English rosmarine, rosemaryn, partly from Old French rosmarin, partly directly from Latin rōsmarīnus (“rosemary”), from rōs (“dew, moisture”) + marīnus (“marine, of the sea”). Displaced native Old English boþen.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *h₁ers-, rosmary, rosmarine, rosmarin, rōsmarīnus

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɹoʊzˌmɛəɹi/
British English: /ˈɹəʊzməɹi/

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

rosemaries (plural)

Derived Forms

rosemaried Rosemary rosemarylike Romy

Phrases

bog rosemary marsh rosemary rosemary pine rosemary willow rosmarinic acid sea rosemary

Synonyms

rosmarine rosmarinus officinalis

Homonyms

Rosemarie (non-US)

Questions

How do you pronounce rosemary?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹoʊzˌmɛəɹi/.
What does rosemary mean?: A shrub, Salvia rosmarinus (formerly Rosmarinus officinalis), that originates from Europe and Asia Minor and produces a fragrant herb used in cooking and perfumes.
Where does rosemary come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce rosemary

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “rosemary”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɹoʊzˌmɛəɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “rosemary”.
Repeat and practice — Say “rosemary” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.