motherwort

[ muhth-er-wurt, -wawrt ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a European plant, Leonorus cardiaca, of the mint family, an introduced weed in the U.S., having cut leaves with a whorl of lavender flowers in the axils.

motherwort

/ ˈmʌðəˌwɜːt /

any of several plants of the Eurasian genus Leonurus, esp L. cardiaca, having divided leaves and clusters of small purple or pink flowers: family Lamiaceae (labiates)

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1350–1400; Middle English moderwort ( mother ¹, wort ² ), so called because believed helpful for diseases of the womb

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C14: so named because it was thought to be beneficial in uterine disorders

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Thus the people ascribe to the Motherwort the property of prolonging life.

Page 383, "motherworth and Virginia creeper" was changed to read "motherwort and Virginia creeper."

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