Ruptureworts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Any of various small, low-growing plants of the genus Herniaria, sometimes used in traditional medicine for their believed healing properties ; a group of herbs known for their mat-forming habit and inconspicuous greenish flowers
2. A collection of creeping, mat-forming herbs in the Herniaria genus, noted for their medicinal folk uses ; perennial or annual weeds characterized by tiny, green, star-shaped blossoms
3. Several species of prostrate, spreading herbs found chiefly in Europe and Asia ; plants long valued for their supposed health benefits and their ability to thrive in dry, sandy soils

Etymology: Ruptureworts are low, mat-forming herbs, and the name is a plain compound: "rupture" joined to "wort," the Old English word for a plant or herb, which survives in names like St John's wort and mugwort. The "rupture" element is the more interesting part. It points to the medical sense of a hernia, a body part forcing its way out of where it should be, and the plants earned the name because they were once used as remedies for that condition. The link is confirmed by the genus name. Botanists placed these plants in the genus "Herniaria," built on the Latin "hernia," so the scientific and common names both carry the same idea of a breach or bulge. The English name appears to be a translation of that Latin label into everyday vocabulary, with "rupture" serving as the older lay term for hernia.