Etymology and origin of the Latin word herbalis
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- 1200s Pseudo-Avicenna, Albertus Magnus More words from the 12th century
- Ultimate origin
- Latin herba
Etymology tree
From the same root
Forms
herbālis (neuter herbāle); third-declension two-termination adjective[1][2]
Etymology
It is from Latin herba (“grass, herb”), with the suffix -ālis.[1][2][3]
Earliest recorded meaning
It appears in 13th-century natural philosophy: a treatise attributed to Avicenna and Albertus Magnus use it for what belongs to plants.[1][2]
Semantic evolution
Besides “of plants”, it meant “like grass or a small plant” and “in the manner of grasses”;[1] Roger Bacon names lapides herbales in alchemy.[4] In charters from medieval Hungary (spelled erbalis) a divisio erbalis is a division of land along a boundary strip of grass,[5] and a Scottish account of 1460 uses it for rents paid for pasture.[4] English formed herbal from it, as a noun for a book of plants in the 1510s and as an adjective in the 1610s.[3]
Timeline
- 13th century – Pseudo-Avicenna and Albertus Magnus use it of plant life.[1][2]
- 1332 – A charter speaks of an erbalis divisio of land.[5]
- 1460 – The Scottish Exchequer Rolls record rents herbales, for pasture.[4]
- 1510s – English borrows it as herbal.[3]
Meanings
Adjective
- (Medieval Latin) Of or relating to plants, vegetable.[1]
- (Medieval Latin) Resembling grass or a small plant.[1][4]
- (Medieval Latin) Made along a grassy boundary strip (of a land division).[5]
- (Medieval Latin) For pasture (of a rent).[4]
Related words
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
- ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d e Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
Cite this entry
“Herbalis.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/herbalis. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.
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