moonwort

moonwort

English

Botrychium lunaria

Lunaria annua

Etymology

From moon +‎ wort.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmuːnwəːt/

Noun

moonwort (plural moonworts)

1. A small fern, Botrychium lunaria (lesser moonwort); later, any member of the genus. [from 15th c.]
   • 1653, Nicholas Culpeper, The English Physician Enlarged, Folio Society 2007, p. 194:

     Moonwort is an herb which they say will open locks, and unshoe such horses as tread upon it.

2. (now US, UK regional) Lunaria annua (greater moonwort); also known as Honesty and Actual Honesty. [from 16th c.]

Translations

Botrychium lunaria

Finnish: ketonoidanlukko (fi) Hungarian: holdruta (hu) Icelandic: tungljurt (is) f Polish: podejźrzon (pl) m Romanian: limba-cucului (ro) f

Lunaria annua

Finnish: kesäkuuruoho (fi) Hungarian: kerti holdviola (hu)

See also

• Botrychium on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Moortown