Liferwyrt

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small green non-flowering plant that grows in damp places and belongs to the group of bryophytes
2. An low-growing moss-like plant of damp habitats, once used as a herbal remedy for liver complaints
3. Any of the small flat-leafed plants of the bryophyte group that thrive in moist shady ground

Etymology: Old English speakers named this plant by combining "lifer", meaning liver, with "wyrt", meaning plant or herb. The name points to the plant's use in treating liver complaints, and its lobed, liver-shaped leaves probably reinforced the link. Medieval herbal and medical writing used the name, and it passed into Middle English as "liverwort", which is the form still used today. The Old English spelling shows the older compound more clearly, since the plant was named for the organ before the spelling of "liver" settled into its modern shape.