Nigglewort
/ˈnɪɡəlwɜːrt/noun
An obsolete or dialectal English name for a plant or weed, with its exact botanical identification varying by source.
Did you know?The suffix “-wort” once meant simply “plant” or “herb,” so medieval and early modern English could name plants according to local appearance, use, or superstition rather than modern botanical classification.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wr̥h₂d-
“A reconstructed root associated with roots and rooted plants.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wurtiz
“Root; plant or herb.”
Old English
Old English
wyrt
“Plant, herb, or medicinal vegetation.”
Middle English
Middle English
wort
“A plant or herb, especially one valued for food or medicine.”
19th Century
English
nigglewort
“A recorded dialectal or obsolete plant-name, whose precise referent differs among historical sources.”
Modern English
English
nigglewort
“A rare historical or dialect word for a plant or weed.”