verveine

Forms

verveine f (plural verveines)^[1] Old French vervaenna (12th century) and vervainne (1259).^[2][3] The spellings verbene (1542) and verbaine (1600) were short-lived etymological remakings.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French vervainne, inherited from Vulgar Latin *vervena, an altered form of Latin verbēna, used mostly in the plural verbēnae for the sacred boughs of laurel, olive or myrtle carried by priests at sacrifices and used to strike a treaty.^[2][3][4] The /b/ was assimilated to the initial /v/.^[5][2] Wiktionary derives the word from the plural.^[1] Rey takes the Latin singular as the feminine of a popular *verbenus, from an old Latin *verbos (“blow”), that is, “herb of the blows”.^[3]

Cognate with Italian verbena, Spanish verbena and Portuguese verbena, and with Old Occitan verbena, vervena.^[5][3][6] Meyer-Lübke also lists Walloon verlen and Catalan berbena.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is first found in the 12th century in a glossary from Tours, where Latin verbena vel vervena is glossed by the Romance vervaenna, the plant vervain; in 1259 a collection of popular remedies speaks of the juice of vervainne.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The plant, valued for its soothing and medicinal properties, kept its name throughout the history of French.^[3][2] In the 19th century the word was extended to things made from it: an infusion of vervain (1826, Balzac), its scent (1842, Banville) and, from 1904, a liqueur.^[2][3] Verveine odorante became one of the names of lemon verbena (1845).^[3]

Timeline

• 12th century – Vervaenna glosses Latin verbena in a glossary from Tours.^[2]
• 1259 – Vervainne appears in a collection of popular remedies.^[2]
• 1542 – The learned spelling verbene appears, without lasting.^[3]
• 1826 – Balzac uses infusion de verveine.^[2]
• 1842 – Banville uses the word for the scent.^[2][3]
• 1845 – Verveine odorante is recorded for lemon verbena.^[3]
• 1904 – The Nouveau Larousse illustré records the sense “liqueur”.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. Vervain, verbena: a plant of the verbena family, one species of which has soothing medicinal uses.^[8][2]
2. Verveine odorante: lemon verbena, grown for its scent.^[8][3]
3. A herbal infusion of vervain.^[8][9]
4. The scent of lemon verbena.^[8][9]
5. A vervain liqueur.^[8][2]

Related words

• verbénacées
• Latin verbēna

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
8. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse