betony (countable and uncountable, plural betonies)
Any plant of the genus Stachys.
Stachys officinalis (syn. Betonica officinalis), an herb used in traditional European medicine.
(North America) Any plant of the genus Pedicularis (louseworts).
• (Stachys): heal-all, self-heal, woundwort, lamb's ears, hedgenettle
• (Stachys officinalis): purple betony, bishopwort, wild hop, bishop's wort, common hedgenettle, lousewort, wood betony
• (Pedicularis): lousewort, wood betony
Source: Wiktionary
Bet"o*ny, n.; pl. Betonies. Etym: [OE. betony, betany, F. betoine, fr. L. betonica, vettonica.] (Bot.)
Definition: A plant of the genus Betonica (Linn.).
Note: The purple or wood betony (B. officinalis, Linn.) is common in Europe, being formerly used in medicine, and (according to Loudon) in dyeing wool a yellow color.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
22 February 2025
(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., āthe father of the brideā instead of āthe brideās fatherā
Coffee dates back to the 9th century. Goat herders in Ethiopia noticed their goats seem to be ādancingā after eating berries from a particular shrub. They reported it to the local monastery, and a monk made a drink out of it. The monk found out he felt energized and kept him awake at night. Thatās how the first coffee drink was born.
