Alkanet
/ˈæl.kə.nɛt/noun
A Mediterranean herb whose red roots yield a dye and have been used traditionally in cosmetics, medicines, and coloring.
Did you know?Alkanet and henna are botanically different plants, yet medieval Arabic and Romance naming traditions linked their names through the shared dyeing tradition.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Arabic
Arabic
al-ḥinnāʾ
“Henna, the plant used for reddish dye and body decoration”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
al-ḥinnā
“The henna plant; the initial al- is the Arabic definite article “the””
Medieval Latin
Latin
alchanna
“A name applied to henna and related dye plants”
Medieval Spanish
Spanish
alcaneta
“A dye plant; the diminutive ending -eta helped produce the later plant name”
14th–15th Century
Middle English
alkanet
“The red-rooted dye plant now identified chiefly as Alkanna tinctoria”
Modern English
English
alkanet
“A herb of the borage family whose root produces a red-purple coloring matter”