Apsinthion

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of plant known for its bitter foliage and historical use in herbal medicine
2. A botanical term referring to an herb that has been associated with various traditional medicinal practices
3. A specific plant characterized by its distinctive taste and historical significance in folklore and remedies

Etymology: The Greek "apsinthion" named the bitter herb we now call wormwood, "Artemisia absinthium", and it is one of the few Greek plant names whose origin is unclear. Most scholars think it is a loanword from a pre-Greek Mediterranean language, so it cannot be traced to a Greek root. The old explanation, that it combines a Greek privative "a-" with "psinthos" ("pleasant"), meaning "undrinkable," is a folk etymology and is not considered reliable. The herb's bitterness made it a common remedy in Greek and Roman medicine, used against worms and to aid digestion, and the Greek term passed into Latin as "absinthium." The most famous Greek use is in the New Testament, where Revelation 8:11 names a falling star "Apsinthos," which English Bibles render as "Wormwood," and its poisoned waters make many people die. From the Latin word came French "absinthe," which later gave English the name of the anise-flavoured spirit, a sense that arrived only in the 19th century.

Synonyms: absinthium, wormwood, absinthe, bitter herb