Feltwort

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A downy, woolly-leaved herbaceous plant, a member of the cudweed group, named for its felt-like covering of fine hairs
2. An herb whose leaves and stems are coated with soft, matted hairs that give them the texture of felt
3. A low-growing wild plant with a thick coat of fine woolly fibres on its foliage, found in dry open ground

Etymology: Feltwort is a plant name whose origin lies in its leaves. The Old English "feltwyrt" joins "felt," the matted woollen fabric, to "wort," an old word for a herb or plant. The name describes the plant's texture: its leaves are covered in soft, felty down that feels like flannel. Because of this, the plant has gone by several names built on the same idea. Middle English speakers also called it "feltpypt," and German speakers called it "Wollkraut," or "wool herb," for the same reason. English speakers still use names such as flannel leaf, old man's flannel and velvet plant. Despite its sound, feltwort should not be confused with "felwort," a different plant name, or with "fieldwort," which has its own separate origin.