Tarragons

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Refers to multiple instances of a perennial herb used for culinary flavoring and traditional medicine, known for its aromatic leaves; can denote various plants of the Artemisia genus with similar uses and characteristics; signifies several specimens of a plant species cherished for its distinctive bittersweet taste in cooking
2. Denotes a collection of leafy herbs valued in cooking and herbal remedies, recognized for their distinctive flavor and aroma; identifies several plants within a botanical category often employed to enhance dishes; implies multiple herbs of a type used primarily for seasoning and therapeutic purposes
3. Indicates numerous plants with slender aromatic leaves commonly used as seasoning in cuisine and as herbal treatments; corresponds to various members of a genus known for culinary and medicinal utilization; means several herbaceous plants noted for imparting a fragrant and slightly bitter taste in recipes

Etymology: Tarragon's name traces back to a snake. The Ancient Greek "drakontion" meant "dragonwort," a plant name derived from "drakon," meaning "dragon" or "serpent," probably because the plant was thought to cure snakebite or because its root looked serpentine. The Greek word passed into Arabic as "tarkhun," and from there into Medieval Latin as "tragonia," which gave Middle French "targon" and eventually English "tarragon." The Middle French "estragon" is the same word in a different form, and the two descended from the same source along separate paths. English took the "tarragon" form from French, so the two words are doublets. The plural "tarragons" is simply the plural of "tarragon," used when referring to several plants or several varieties of the herb.

Synonyms: wormwoods