A plant of the daisy family that was traditionally believed to drive away or repel fleas and other insects.
Compound of 'flea' and 'bane' (meaning killer or nemesis), from Old English. Medieval herbalists named plants for their supposed properties, and this plant was thought to eliminate fleas.
People in medieval times created a entire category of 'bane' plants—fleabane, wolfsbane, henbane—naming them after the creatures they supposedly destroyed, showing how much pre-scientific medicine relied on hopeful naming.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.