fer·u·la \ˈfer(y)ələ\noun Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, giant fennel — more at festuca 1.capitalized: a large genus of Old World plants (family Umbelliferae) with deeply divided leaves, compound umbels of yellow flowers, and membranous-winged fruit with three threadlike ridges — see asafetida, galbanum 2.-s: any plant of the genus Ferula