Alison

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A feminine first name of English origin often regarded as a variant of Allison or a form related to Alice
2. A female given name popular in English-speaking countries, derived from the older name Alice or Allison
3. The name of a woman, commonly used in Britain and America, with roots in the medieval name Alice

Etymology: The flower alyssum takes its name from the ancient Greek "álusson", formed from "a-", meaning "not", and "lyssa", meaning "madness" or "rabies". The plant was believed to cure rabies, and the name records that belief. Botanists adopted the Greek word as the scientific name of the genus, and "alison" is an accepted alternative spelling of the plant's name in English. The given name Alison is unrelated to that Greek word. It is a diminutive of Alice, which comes from the Old French form "Aalis" of the Germanic name Adelheid, built from elements meaning "noble" and "kind" or "sort". The "-on" ending is a familiar English pet-form suffix, so the name means something like "little Alice". The shared spelling is pure coincidence.