Smearwort
/ˈsmɪr.wɜːrt/noun
A traditional name for a plant used in folk medicine as a healing salve or ointment herb.
Did you know?The second element, -wort, is an Old English plant-name suffix meaning “herb,” and it survives in words like mugwort and wortleberry, preserving a very old pre-modern way of naming useful plants.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
smēre-wyrt
“an herb used for smearing or anointing, especially as a salve plant”
Middle English
ME
smerewurt / smerwort
“a medicinal herb associated with ointment or healing applications”
Early Modern English
English
smearwort
“a folk name for a plant used in salves or poultices”
Modern English
English
smearwort
“a traditional or regional name for a medicinal herb”