herb

herb , name for any plant that is used medicinally or as a spice and for the useful product of such a plant. Herbs as condiments and seasonings are still important in culinary art; the use of medicinal herbs, however, has waned since the advent of prescription and synthetic medicines, although plants remain a major source of drugs. The term herb is also applied to all herbaceous plants as distinguished from woody plants.

Bibliography: See R. E. Clarkson, Herbs, their Culture and Uses (1966); G. B. Foster, Herbs for Every Garden (rev. ed. 1973); A. and C. Krochmal, A Guide to the Medicinal Plants of the United States (1974).

herb herb of grace the plant rue; the name is supposed to derive (like the synonymous herb of repentance), from the coincidence of the name with the noun and verb rue ‘repent, repentance’. The name is probably now best-known from Shakespeare, as in Richard II: ‘I'll set a bank of rue, sour herb of grace.’

See also better a dinner of herbs where love is.

herb XIII. ME. (h)erbe — OF. erbe (mod. herbe) :- L. herba grass, green crops, herb. The pronunc. without initial aspirate was regular till early XIX.
So herbaceous XVII. f. L. herbage XIV. — OF. herbal book treating of plants. XVI. — medL.; whence herbalist XVI. herbarium collection of dried plants. XVIII. — late L.; see -ARY.