Lovage

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈlʌvɪd͡ʒ/

Definitions

1. A herb with a robust flavor often used in cooking, noted for its tall stems and leafy appearance which may serve culinary and medicinal functions
2. This plant from the Apiaceae family is recognized for its celery-like taste and is commonly utilized for flavoring dishes and potential health benefits
3. A perennial herb belonging to the celery family, valued for its strong flavor in cooking and its use in traditional medicine for various ailments

Etymology: The herb's English name has a second life as a folk-etymology. Old English speakers called it "lufestiċe," which meant roughly "love-stitch," a name that came from the Latin "levisticum" through a series of altered forms. Later English speakers, hearing the plant's name in terms they already knew, reshaped it into "loveache," pairing "love" with "ache," the old word for parsley. The plant was never a parsley, but the new spelling made it sound like one. The Latin "levisticum" was probably an alteration of "ligusticum," a neuter form of "Ligusticus," meaning "Ligurian," from the Greek "Ligustikos," tied to the people of Liguria in northwest Italy. So the herb's roots point back to a region, not to love or aches. The Old French "luvache" and Middle French "levesche" carried the name into Anglo-Norman and then into Middle English.