vervain

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English

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vervain

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English verveyne, from Old French verveine, from Latin verbēna. Doublet of verbena.

Pronunciation

Noun

vervain (countable and uncountable, plural vervains)

  1. Any herbaceous plant in the genus Verbena especially if used for medicinal purposes, primarily Verbena officinalis, common in Europe and formerly held to have medicinal properties.
    Hypernym: verbena
    • 1612, Michael Drayton, Poly-Olbion, song 13 p. 218:
      The Yarrow, where-with-all he stops the wound-made gore:
      The healing Tutsan then, and Plantan for a sore.
      And hard by them againe he holy Vervaine finds,
      Which he about his head that hath the Megrim binds.
    • 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 147:
      The candlesticks were surrounded by wreaths of vervain[.]
    • 1971, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 41:
      There were bunches of wild garlic to keep out evil spirits, foxgloves for healing spells and hemlock and vervain for darker magic.

Derived terms

Translations

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