Herb

Herb (ẽrb or hẽrb; 277) , noun

[Old English herbe, erbe, Old French herbe, erbe, French herbe, Latin herba; perh. akin to Greek forbh` food, pasture, fe`rbein to feed.]

A plant whose stem does not become woody and permanent, but dies, at least down to the ground, after flowering.

Annual herbs live but one season; biennial herbs flower the second season, and then die; perennial herbs produce new stems year after year.

Grass; herbage.

And flocks Grazing the tender herb. — Milton

Collocations (7)

Herb bennet (Botany) , See Bennet.

Herb Christopher (Botany) , an herb (Actaea spicata), whose root is used in nervous diseases; the baneberry. The name is occasionally given to other plants, as the royal fern, the wood betony, etc.

Herb Gerard (Botany) , the goutweed; -- so called in honor of St. Gerard, who used to be invoked against the gout. — Dr. Prior

Herb grace or Herb of grace (Botany) , See Rue.

Herb Margaret (Botany) , the daisy. See Marguerite.

Herb Paris (Botany) , an Old World plant related to the trillium (Paris quadrifolia), commonly reputed poisonous.

Herb Robert (Botany) , a species of Geranium (Geranium Robertianum.)