celery

American  

[sel-uh-ree, sel-ree] / ˈsɛl ə ri, ˈsɛl ri /

noun

1. a plant, Apium graveolens, of the parsley family, whose leafstalks are eaten raw or cooked.

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celery British  

/ ˈsɛlərɪ /

noun

1. an umbelliferous Eurasian plant, Apium graveolens dulce, whose blanched leafstalks are used in salads or cooked as a vegetable See also celeriac

2. a related and similar plant, Apium graveolens

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Etymology

Origin of celery

1655–65; < French céleri < Italian seleri, plural of selero ≪ Greek sélinon parsley

Explanation

Celery is a very crunchy, succulent vegetable that grows in stalks. You can cook celery, often with more flavorful vegetables, or eat it raw. Celery is a very mild-flavored vegetable that adds crunch to a salad or a subtle taste to sauteed onions and garlic. Your grandmother might love to serve "ants on a log," or peanut butter in the hollow of a celery stalk, with raisins as the "ants." Depending on your feelings about celery, you might feel slightly less enthusiastic.

Example Sentences

To make the pot pie, start by cooking together carrots, onion, celery and chicken.

From Salon • Feb. 20, 2026

I went on a wellness kick: I stopped eating gluten and dairy and forced down celery juice every morning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

Li, who suffers from a genetic degenerative condition that progressively weakens muscles, relies on a ventilator permanently connected to his windpipe to breathe, but grows celery with the help of his 62-year-old mother.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

She tosses carrots, celery and other fibrous treats like cucumbers on top of the branches and leaves that are reminiscent of the apes’ West Central Africa rainforest habitat.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

Dinner was prawn cocktails in wine glasses for starters, lamb chops with chef’s hats with duchesse potatoes and braised celery for main, and a Baked Alaska for "dessert," not "afters."

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell