used in British English and other varieties for both the fresh leaves and the dried seeds; 'cilantro' is the Spanish-derived term for the fresh leaves in American English
'Cilantro' and 'coriander' are the most commonly confused pair. 'Cilantro' (from Spanish) refers specifically to the fresh green leaves of the Coriandrum sativum plant and is the standard term in American English. 'Coriander' can refer to either the fresh leaves (British English) or the dried seeds (all varieties) — in American grocery stores the seeds are labelled 'coriander' and the fresh leaves 'cilantro'. 'Chinese parsley' is an old-fashioned English name for the leaf but has largely fallen out of everyday use. 'Culantro' is a different plant (Eryngium foetidum) with a similar but stronger flavour, common in Caribbean and Latin American cooking. For example: 'I bought a bunch of cilantro for the pico de gallo, and ground coriander for the marinade.'
Borrowed from Spanish 'cilantro', which comes from Latin 'coriandrum', ultimately from Ancient Greek 'κορίαννον' (koríannon). The Greek name may have Semitic roots, possibly related to Phoenician or Hebrew words for the plant. The Spanish form 'cilantro' (with the 'l' insertion) became the standard term for the fresh leaves in Mexican and American English, while 'coriander' — from the same Latin root via Old French — remained the standard in British English for both the leaves and the seeds.