verbena

Meaning

Noun

• Verbena, a genus of herbaceous plants of which several species are extensively cultivated for the great beauty of their flowers; vervain.

Origin

• Borrowed from Latin verbēna ("leaves or twigs of olive, myrtle, laurel, or other sacred plants employed in religious ceremonies"), from Proto-Indo-European *werbʰ- (see also Lithuanian virbas), from *werb-. Cognate with Middle Dutch warp, Middle Low German warp, German Warf, Danish varp, Swedish varp. vervain.