Yerba

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A specific plant utilized to brew a popular caffeinated beverage embraced for its social aspect
2. A distinct type of vegetation whose foliage is typically steeped to make a culturally significant beverage enjoyed for its energizing effects
3. A type of leafy plant whose dried leaves are soaked to create a traditional stimulating drink

Etymology: The Spanish "yerba" is the same word as English "herb", which came into English through Old French from Latin "herba", meaning grass or green plant. The two forms split apart as they travelled: English kept the version that lost its initial sound and became "herb", while Spanish speakers kept the fuller form. Words that share a source but arrive in a language by different routes like this are called doublets. In the case of "yerba", the Spanish form was carried into English from the Spanish-speaking world, where it came to name the leaves of a South American holly, Ilex paraguariensis, that are steeped to make a drink. The plant is the source of the beverage known in English as maté, and the name yerba mate combines the Spanish word for herb with a term from Quechua, "mati", for the gourd the drink is traditionally sipped from.