feverfew

English

The flowers of the feverfew

Etymology

From Middle English feverfu, feverfeu, feverfugie, modified by folk etymology from either Old French fevrefue or Old English feferfuge, both from Latin febrifugia, from febris (“fever”) + fugō (“I drive away”). Doublet of febrifuge.

Noun

feverfew (countable and uncountable, plural feverfews)

1. A European aromatic perennial herb, Tanacetum parthenium (or Chrysanthemum parthenium or Pyrethrum parthenium), having daisy-like flowers; valued as a traditional medicine, especially for headaches.

Synonyms

• bachelor's buttons

Translations

Tanacetum parthenium

• Arabic: زَهْرَة الذَهَب f (zahra aḏ-ḏahab), شَجَرَة مَرْيَم f (šajara maryam)
• Armenian: լվածաղիկ (lvacaġik)
• Bulgarian: моминска вратига f (mominska vratiga)
• Catalan: segura (ca) f, botonets m pl
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: moederkruid (nl) n
• Finnish: reunuspietaryrtti, reunuspäivänkakkara
• German: Mutterkraut (de) n, Fieberkraut n, Zierkamille n, Falsche Kamille (de) n
• Greek:

  Ancient: παρθένιον n (parthénion)

• Italian: partenio m
• Romanian: spilcuță f
• Spanish: matricaria f, hierba santa f
• Swedish: mattram (sv) c
• Venetan: maresìna f
• Welsh: y wermod wen f

References

• Michael Quinion (2004) “Feverfew”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, →ISBN.
• "Feverfew" in Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged