rosemary

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rosemary the aromatic leaves of rosemary are an emblem of remembrance, and are particulary associated with the words of Ophelia in Shakespeare' Hamlet, ‘There's rosemary for remembrance’.

In traditional belief, rosemary grows best in the garden of a woman who dominates her husband; it is also associated with the Virgin Mary on the Flight into Egypt (as in the story that on the way, having washed her clothes, she hung her blue robe on a rosemary bush to dry).

The name is recorded from Middle English (in form rosmarine), and is based on Latin ros marinus ‘dew of the sea’; it was later understood as primarily associated with rose and Mary (for the Virgin).

rosemary [ultimately from Lat.,=dew of the sea], widely cultivated evergreen and shrubby perennial ( Rosmarinus officinalis ) of the family Labiatae ( mint family), fairly hardy and native to the Mediterranean region. It has small light-blue flowers. The aromatic leaves, whitish beneath, are used for seasoning, and the oil is used in perfume and medicine. From ancient times rosemary has been regarded as a token of constancy and remembrance. In Hamlet (iv:5) Ophelia says, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance." There is a prostrate variety. Rosemary is classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Lamiales, family Labiatae.

rosemary evergreen shrub. XV. alt., by assoc. with ROSE and MARY, of †rosmarine (XIV), either inmed. — L. rōs marīnus ‘sea-dew’, late L. rōsmarīnum, or through (i) OF. rosmarin (mod. romarin) or (ii) MDu. rosemarine (Du. ros(e)-marijn).

rose·mar·y / ˈrōzˌmerē/ • n. an evergreen aromatic shrub (Rosmarinus officinalis) of the mint family, native to southern Europe. The narrow leaves are used as a culinary herb, in perfumery, and as an emblem of remembrance.

rosemary Perennial evergreen herb of the mint family. It has small, needle-like leaf clusters of small pale-blue flowers. Sprigs of rosemary are commonly used as a flavouring. Family Lamiaceae/Labiatae; species Rosmarinus officinalis.

Rosemary ♀ 19th-century coinage, from the name of the herb (which is from Latin ros marinus ‘sea dew’). It is often also assumed to be a combination of the names Rose and Mary.

Variant: Rosemarie.
Pet form: Rosie.

rosemary A bushy shrub, Rosmarinus officinalis, cultivated commercially for its essential oil, used in medicine and perfumery. The leaves are used to flavour soups, sauces and meat.

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