What does estragon mean?
Estragon is a synonym for tarragon, the aromatic herb Artemisia dracunculus, prized for its distinctive anise-like flavour. A perennial of the daisy family, it produces slender, dark green leaves that are used fresh or dried to season a wide range of dishes. Estragon is especially associated with French cuisine, where it is one of the classic fines herbes and an essential ingredient in sauces such as béarnaise and ravigote, as well as in vinegars, mustards and poultry dishes. Cooks distinguish French estragon, which has a delicate, sweet liquorice note, from the hardier Russian variety, which grows more readily but tastes coarser and more bitter. Although "tarragon" is the dominant English name, "estraxon"-style borrowings like estragon remain common in British cookery writing and on continental packaging. Knowing both terms is useful for anyone reading European recipes or shopping for herbs internationally.
nounEstragon is another name for tarragon, an aromatic herb of the daisy family whose narrow leaves are used fresh or dried to flavour food, especially in French cuisine. The word also denotes the herb's leaves themselves when used as a seasoning.
- The aromatic herb Artemisia dracunculus (dragon's-wort), also known as tarragon.
- The leaves of this plant used as a culinary seasoning, especially in French cooking.
"A sprinkle of fresh estragon lifted the béarnaise sauce to another level."
"The chicken was roasted with lemon and sprigs of fresh estragon."
"Russian estragon has a stronger, more pungent flavour than the milder French variety favoured by cooks."
The plural usually refers to multiple plants or varieties rather than individual leaves, which are typically treated as uncountable.
"The nursery sells both French and Russian estragons."
The same herb that flavours béarnaise sauce goes by two names — 'tarragon' came through Arabic into French, while 'estragon' is its twin borrowed straight from French kitchens.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of estragon
Estragon entered English from French in the early sixteenth century, ultimately deriving via medieval Latin and Greek from Arabic ṭarkhūn, which itself traces back to a Persian source. The underlying root relates to the word for dragon, a reference either to the herb's serpentine roots or to its ancient reputation as a remedy for snakebite. Its doublet "tarragon" arrived by the same route at around the same time, giving English two names for one herb.
How estragon is actually used
"Estragon" is chiefly a British usage and appears most often in recipes translated from French or on European packaging; "tarragon" is far more common in everyday American English. In botany, the species is sometimes distinguished as French versus Russian estragon, referring to different cultivated varieties with noticeably different flavour intensity.
Easily confused with estragon
There is no difference in meaning — estragon is simply the French-derived synonym for the same herb, tarragon, and both words appear on ingredient labels.