Islewort
/ˈaɪl.wɜːrt/noun
A name for sea lavender, especially the coastal plant Limonium vulgare.
Did you know?The ending “-wort” comes from Old English wyrt, meaning “plant” or “herb,” and survives in names such as mugwort, St. John’s-wort, and liverwort.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wr̥tís
“Root or plant; the reconstructed ancestor associated with Germanic wort”
Old English
OE
wyrt
“Plant, herb, or root used medicinally”
Classical Latin
Latin
insula
“Island”
Old French
Old French
isle
“Island; the source of English isle”
Middle English
English
isle + wort
“A compound meaning an island plant or herb”
Modern English
English
islewort
“Sea lavender, particularly Limonium vulgare”