caraway, biennial Old World plant (Carum carvi) of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), cultivated in Europe and North America for its aromatic seeds. They are small and ovate, with a pleasant spicy flavor, and are used as a condiment; as seasoning of pastry and bread doughs, cabbage, sausage, and some kinds of cheese; and as flavoring for certain liqueurs (as kümmel). The volatile oil expressed from the seeds is a stimulant and a carminative. Caraway is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Umbellales, family Umbelliferae.

Caraway, Hattie Wyatt, 1878-1950, U.S. senator (1932-45), b. near Bakerville, Tenn. In 1932 she was appointed to fill the unexpired Senate term from Arkansas of her late husband, Thaddeus H. Caraway. With the support of Huey Long, she was elected for a full term later that year, becoming the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate. After failing to win renomination in 1944, she was appointed (1945) by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the Federal Employees Compensation Commission.

Dried fruit, commonly called the seed, of Carum carvi, a biennial herb of the parsley family. Native to Europe and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times. It has a distinctive aroma and a warm, slightly sharp taste. It is used as a seasoning, and the oil is used to flavor alcoholic beverages and as a medicine.

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