tansy

Meaning

Noun

• A herbaceous plant with yellow flowers, of the genus Tanacetum, especially Tanacetum vulgare.
• A dish common in the seventeenth century, made of eggs, sugar, rose water, cream, and the juice of herbs (including tansy), baked with butter in a shallow dish. "Originally flavoured with tansy, but by Pepys's time generally having spinach as its predominant flavouring."

Origin

• From Old French tanesie, tanoisie, tanasie, tanaisie, from Medieval Latin tanacetum, atanacetum, attested since the 8th century, of obscure origin, speculated from Ancient Greek ἀθανασία owing to hallucinations from the thujone in the plant, else from taenia due to its primary use against parasites by which reason it is called in Arabic حَشِيشَة الدُود, otherwise a borrowing like tagetes.
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