Herb

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /hɜːb/

Definitions

1. A plant valued for its medicinal properties, culinary flavoring, or fragrant qualities
2. A type of plant that is used for seasoning, medicinal purposes, or aromatic effects
3. A botanical category that includes plants utilized for flavoring foods, healing, or producing pleasant scents

Etymology: The English "herb" carries a silent h that was added back to the spelling for the sake of Latin. Middle English had "herbe" and "erbe," which came from Old French "erbe," and the French word itself descended from Latin "herba," meaning grass or green plant. In the 15th century, scribes restored the h to match the Latin original, but the h stayed unpronounced for centuries. It was not actually sounded in standard English until the 19th century, and many speakers still drop it today, which is why "herb" sounds like "erb" in careful speech. The word is a doublet of "yerba," the Spanish form of the same Latin root, so English and Spanish speakers are drawing on one ancient source by two routes. Its meaning has stayed close to its origin: "herba" simply referred to green growing plants, and the culinary sense of a leafy plant used for flavouring developed from that broader idea of greenery.

Synonyms: plant, vegetable