1.
[syn: herb, herbaceous plant]
2. aromatic potherb used in cookery for its savory qualities;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Herb \Herb\ ([~e]rb or h[~e]rb; 277), n. [OE. herbe, erbe, OF.
herbe, erbe, F. herbe, L. herba; perh. akin to Gr. forbh`
food, pasture, fe`rbein to feed.]
1. A plant whose stem does not become woody and permanent,
but dies, at least down to the ground, after flowering.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Annual herbs live but one season; biennial herbs flower
the second season, and then die; perennial herbs
produce new stems year after year.
[1913 Webster]
2. Grass; herbage.
[1913 Webster]
And flocks
Grazing the tender herb. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
Herb bennet. (Bot.) See Bennet.
Herb Christopher (Bot.), an herb (Act[ae]a spicata),
whose root is used in nervous diseases; the baneberry. The
name is occasionally given to other plants, as the royal
fern, the wood betony, etc.
Herb Gerard (Bot.), the goutweed; -- so called in honor of
St. Gerard, who used to be invoked against the gout. --Dr.
Prior.
Herb grace, or Herb of grace. (Bot.) See Rue.
Herb Margaret (Bot.), the daisy. See Marguerite.
Herb Paris (Bot.), an Old World plant related to the
trillium (Paris quadrifolia), commonly reputed
poisonous.
Herb Robert (Bot.), a species of Geranium (Geranium
Robertianum.)
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
herb
n 1: a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering
garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal
properties; some are pests [syn: herb, herbaceous
plant]
2: aromatic potherb used in cookery for its savory qualities
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
140 Moby Thesaurus words for "herb":
Cretan dittany, algae, angelica, autophyte, balm, balsam, basil,
bean, belladonna, boneset, borage, bracken, brown algae,
burning bush, calendula, caraway, cardamom, castor-oil plant,
chervil, chicory, climber, clover, conferva, confervoid, coriander,
creeper, deadly nightshade, death camas, diatom, dill, dittany,
drops, drug, electuary, elixir, ethical drug, fennel, fern,
feverroot, figwort, fruits and vegetables, fucus, fungus,
gas plant, generic name, ginseng, grapevine, green algae, gulfweed,
hemp, henbane, herbs, heterophyte, horehound, hyssop, inhalant,
ivy, kelp, legume, lentil, liana, lichen, lincture, linctus,
liverwort, mandrake, marijuana, marjoram, materia medica, mayapple,
medicament, medication, medicinal, medicinal herbs, medicine, mint,
mixture, mold, monkshood, moss, mullein, mushroom, mustard,
nonprescription drug, officinal, oregano, origanum, parasite,
parasitic plant, parsley, patent medicine, pea, peppermint,
perthophyte, pharmacon, physic, phytoplankton, planktonic algae,
plant families, powder, preparation, prescription drug,
proprietary, proprietary medicine, proprietary name, puffball,
pulse, red algae, rockweed, rosemary, rue, rust, sage, saprophyte,
sargasso, sargassum, savory, sea lentil, sea moss, sea wrack,
seaweed, simples, smut, sorrel, spearmint, succulent,
sweet woodruff, syrup, tansy, tarragon, theraputant, thyme, tisane,
toadstool, tobacco, vegetable remedies, vetch, vine, wort, wrack
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary:
Herb
(1.) Heb. 'eseb, any green plant; herbage (Gen. 1:11, 12, 29,
30; 2:5; 3:18, etc.); comprehending vegetables and all green
herbage (Amos 7:1, 2).
(2.) _Yarak_, green; any green thing; foliage of trees (2
Kings 19:26; Ps. 37:2); a plant; herb (Deut. 11:10).
(3.) _Or_, meaning "light" In Isa. 26:19 it means "green
herbs;" in 2 Kings 4:39 probably the fruit of some plant.
(4.) _Merorim_, plural, "bitter herbs," eaten by the
Israelites at the Passover (Ex. 12:8; Num. 9:11). They were
bitter plants of various sorts, and referred symbolically to the
oppression in Egypt.