Butterbur

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large-leaved perennial plant of wet ground that bears clusters of pale flowers early in spring ; a herbaceous plant of the genus Petasites valued in traditional herbal remedies
2. A waterside herb with huge rounded leaves and early spring blooms ; a member of the Petasites genus that has long been used in folk medicine
3. The broad-leafed marsh plant whose flower heads appear before its leaves ; a species of Petasites once prescribed in herbal treatments for headaches and coughs

Etymology: Butterbur is a plant of the daisy family, a coarse waterside herb with enormous leaves, and its name comes from the practice of wrapping butter in those leaves. Its first element is the ordinary word "butter," and its second, "bur," is an old English name for the plant's burr-like seedheads and for the plant family it belongs to. The leaves were large and sturdy enough to serve as a cheap wrapping, so a plant that grew freely along damp ground became a kitchen tool as well as a weed. The name is therefore a plain compound rather than a word that changed its sense, and the literal picture behind it is the whole story: a green package holding a block of butter.

Synonyms: petasites