Figewort

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A name used for various plants in the genus Scrophularia, typically herbs or shrubs with small flowers often found in temperate regions
2. Refers to certain botanical species characterized by herbaceous growth and small, clustered blooms, frequently used in traditional herbal remedies
3. Denotes a group of flowering plants recognized by their scrophularia classification, usually exhibiting medicinal properties and modest floral arrangements

Etymology: Figwort is a plant of the genus Scrophularia, and its name has nothing to do with figs. The "fig" here is an older English word meaning a small swelling or growth, and the plant was named for its use against them. Its knobbly, swollen roots were thought to resemble piles, and the herb was prescribed for the condition the Middle English word "fig" (or "figwort" itself) described, so the name reads as a doctor's label rather than a fruit. The herb's older reputation came from a theory of signatures, the medieval idea that a plant's appearance revealed its healing purpose. Figwort's roots, with their lumps, were taken as a sign that the plant would treat lumps of the body. Herbalists applied it as an ointment for swellings and sores, and the same logic gave the plant its alternative name, "pilewort."

Synonyms: figwort