Haleweed

/ˈheɪlwiːd/ noun

Definition

A plant believed to promote health or wholeness; possibly a folk name for an herb with medicinal properties (archaic/rare).

Etymology

Compound of 'hale' (healthy, whole) and 'weed' (an old term for any plant or herb), formed in folk medicine traditions to describe plants thought to cure illness.

Kelly Says

Before modern medicine, people named plants after what they supposedly cured or prevented—'haleweed' would have been some herb believed to restore health, though we've lost track of exactly which plant this referred to.

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