Liverwort
/ˈlɪv.ər.wɜːrt/noun
A small nonvascular plant of the class Hepaticae, often growing in damp places.
Did you know?Liverwort belongs to the old “doctrine of signatures,” the belief that a plant’s shape revealed what body part it could cure, so a liver-shaped moss became a liver remedy.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
liferwyrt
“liver plant; a plant thought to be useful for liver ailments”
Middle English
ME
liverworte
“a liver-shaped or liver-associated plant”
Late Middle English
ME
liverwort
“a medicinal plant associated with the liver”
Modern English
EN
liverwort
“any small bryophyte of the liverwort group, especially in damp habitats”