Bearwort

/ˈbɛɹwɜɹt/ noun

Definition

Any of various plants named for their association with bears or their habitat; the '-wort' suffix indicates a plant or herb.

Etymology

Compound of 'bear' and 'wort' (an Old English word meaning 'plant' or 'herb'), as in 'mugwort' or 'birthwort'; these are traditional plant names.

Kelly Says

The '-wort' suffix is like a time capsule of Old English—it's barely productive anymore (we don't invent new '-wort' plants often), but it survives in dozens of medieval plant names that have never been updated to modern terminology.

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