Dill

dill (herb)

noun DIL Rare

Origin: from Old High German tilli

Usage Note

Dill is one of Germany's most important culinary herbs, used fresh in Gurkensalat (cucumber salad), fish dishes, potato salads, Quark, and sauces. The feathery fronds lose their flavour when cooked, so they are added at the end.

Examples

"Frischer Dill gehört unbedingt in einen richtigen Gurkensalat."

Natural Translation

Fresh dill is absolutely essential in a proper cucumber salad.

Literal Translation

Fresh dill belongs absolutely in a proper cucumber salad.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Word Order: The Verb Rules That Trip You Up

German word order comes down to three verb-position rules: the verb is second in main clauses, last after weil and dass, and time comes before place.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Numbers 1–100: Why 21 Is Said Backwards

German numbers 1 to 100 reverse the digits: 21 is einundzwanzig (one-and-twenty). Learn the und rule, the irregulars, and how to hear prices fast.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Modal Particles: doch, mal, ja, eben

German modal particles doch, mal, ja, and eben add attitude, not meaning. Before/after examples show how to use each one so your German stops sounding stiff.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Two-Way Prepositions: Accusative or Dative?

Use accusative for movement into a place (wohin?) and dative for a fixed location (wo?). Master all nine German two-way prepositions with one simple test.

June 9, 2026 6 min read