herba

Forms

herba f (genitive herbae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

The origin is unknown according to de Vaan: the reconstruction ⟨*gʰer-dʰ-⟩ of Walde, Hofmann and Pokorny, from the root of grāmen (“grass”), is impossible if that root is ⟨*ǵʰrh₁-⟩, and there is no good alternative.^[2] The OLD still suggests ⟨*gher-dhā⟩, comparing Old English græd (“grass”);^[3] Köbler and Wiktionary compare Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁- (“to grow, become green”).^[4][1] L&S compared Ancient Greek φορβή (phorbḗ, “fodder”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Plautus,^[2] who has quasi sōlstitiālis herba paullisper fuī, “like a midsummer plant, I lasted only a little while”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Herba is a small plant, a herb, including grass, and the grass of a field (Cicero: in herbā recubuisset, “he lay down on the grass”).^[3][5][1] It names particular plants, as herba Sabīna in Cato, and it is young corn in the blade: in herbā, “in the blade”.^[3][1] Wiktionary also gives “weeds”.^[1]

Church Latin glosses it “grass, blade of grass, herb, plant, blade of corn”.^[6] In Medieval Latin it is especially a poisonous or magic herb.^[7] English herb (c. 1300) comes from it through Old French.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: quasi sōlstitiālis herba.^[3][4]
• 234–149 BC – Cato: herbae Sabīnae.^[3][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero: in herbā recubuisset.^[3][4]
• c. 1300 – English herb, through Old French.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A small plant, herb; grass.^[3][5][1][6]
2. Grassy ground, the grass.^[3]
3. (in plant names) herba Sabīna, herba sōlāris etc.^[3]
4. Young corn in the blade.^[3][6]
5. Weeds.^[1]
6. (Medieval Latin) A poisonous or magic herb.^[7]

Word family

• herbāceus
• herbārius
• herbāticus
• herbeus
• herbifer
• herbigradus
• herbilis
• herbipotēns
• herbitum
• herbō
• herbōsus
• herbula

Related words

• grāmen
• English herb

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com