Ranunculus_ficaria

wen-wyrt

noun, f., i-decl., 12 occ.

Type: plant

Last Update: 26.09.2011 11:11

Old-English: vonvyrt, wenwyrt,

Latin (Machine generated): EMIGRANA .I., EMIGRANI,

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References Last Update: 27.12.2022 20:57

  • wen-wyrt, sio cnēoehte;
  • wen-wyrt, sīo clufihte;
  • wen-wyrt, sīo smale;
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Meaning Last Update: 03.01.2011 10:19

  • A: plant: native
    Ranunculus ficaria L., lesser celandine, Gewöhnliches Scharbockskraut
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Comment Last Update: 26.09.2011 11:09

  • Comment on (A): Ranunculus ficaria L., lesser celandine, Gewöhnliches Scharbockskraut

    The plant name →wen-wyrt, sīo clufihte is frequently used, therefore we can assume that wenwyrt when used without this specification denotes this plant, too (cf. Cockayne 1951,II,410). The occurrences of LA are not recorded in BT(SC).

    Cf. the occurrences in Dur 154 and Laud 642, Lindheim (1941, n.154) notes on EMIGRANI: "Das allerdings auf Rasur stehende EMIGRANI gehört vielleicht zu gr. ὴμίχρανον 'sinciput', 'Vorderhaupt' (vgl. ae. wenn 'Geschwulst')." Storms (1975,327) does not provide any identification, neither do Olds (1985,202f) nor Hankins (1993,245). On →wen-clufu cf. Stracke's note (1974, n.642): "Wencloua is not in the dictionaries. Judging from the -cloua element I would take it to be the clufihte wenwyrt".

    In our opinion the L lemma EMIGRANI (EMIGRANA) is related to the lemmata of the following glosses: WW 122/13 (EMIGRANUS, flæscmaþu), WW 228/6 (EMIGRANEUS, I.UERMIS CAPITIS, EMIGRANEUM, I.DOLOR TIMPORUM, þunwonga sar), cf. the Handwörterbuch des deutschen Aberglaubens (HWBdA, s.v. Wurm): "Schon die Alten glaubten an einen in der Stirnhöhle hausenden Fleischw.[wurm] HEMICRANIUS, von dem bei den Hippokratikern bis auf Avicenna die Rede ist." Therefore our lemma could be interpreted as (HERBA) EMIGRANA, a plant used against 'headworms'.[1]

    Etymology: OE wen 'swelling, Geschwulst' perfectly goes with R. ficaria and Polygonum aviculare L., knotgrass, Vogel-Knöterich because the plants are used as medicine against hemorrhoids in popular medicine (cf. Hegi 1906,III,544 and III, 191).

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Occurrences Last Update: 10.03.2008 07:20

  • Dur, 154 EMIGRANI vonvyrt
  • Laud, 642 EMIGRANA .I. wenwvrt UEL wencloua
  • LB, 104/11 dsg wenwyrte
  • LB, 17/2 dsg wenwyrte
  • LB, 20/16 dsg wenwyrte
  • LB, 23/25 apl wenwyrta
  • LB, 39/19f apl wenwyrta
  • LB, 81/14 asg wenwyrt, sio weaxeþ on ealdum lande
  • LB, 83/2 asg wenwyrt
  • LB, 97/15 asg wenwyrt
  • LB, 97/4 asg wenwyrt
  • LB, 99/20 asg wenwyrt
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Etymology Last Update: 26.09.2011 11:11

  • Etymology: Etymology-Comment:
  • Word-Formation:
  • Word-Formation-Comment:
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Image Last Update: 26.09.2011 11:11

Ranunculus ficaria L., lesser celandine, Gewöhnliches Scharbockskraut

Ranunculus_ficaria

Botanical-Information: stylised plate

Source: →reference-information

Kops, Jan. Flora Batava. 1. Deel. Amsterdam: J. C. Sepp en Zoon, 1800.

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Research Literature

BW I: Bierbaumer, Peter. Der botanische Wortschatz des Altenglischen. Grazer Beiträge zur Englischen Philologie 1. Bern, Frankfurt am Main: Lang, 1975.
BW III: Bierbaumer, Peter. Der botanische Wortschatz des Altenglischen. Grazer Beiträge zur Englischen Philologie 3. Frankfurt am Main, Bern, Las Vegas: Lang, 1979.
Dur: Lindheim, B. von. Das Durhamer Pflanzenglossar. Beiträge zur englischen Philologie. 35. Bochum-Langendreer: Pöppinghaus, 1941.
HWBdA: Handwörterbuch des deutschen Aberglaubens Ed. by Hanns Bächtold-Stäubli and Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer. Digitale Bibliothek 145. Berlin: Direct Media, 2006.
Laud: Stracke, J. Richard (ed.). The Laud Herbal Glossary. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1974.
LB: Cockayne, Oswald Thomas (ed.). "Leech Book." In: Leechdoms, Wortcunning and Starcraft of Early England. Being a Collection of Documents, for the Most Part never before Printed, Illustrating the History of Sience in this Country before the Norman Conquest. Vol. 2. Rev. Ed. by Charles Singer. London: Longman [et. al.], 1961. 1-360.
LB: Leonhardi, Günther. Kleinere angelsächsische Denkmäler I. Bibliothek der ags. Prosa VI. Hamburg: Grand, 1905.
Deegan, Marilyn. A Critical Edition of MS. B.L. Royal 12.D.XVII: Bald's 'Leechbook'. Diss. Univ. of Manchester. 1988.
Hankins, Freda Richards. Bald's 'Leechbook' Reconsidered. Diss. Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 1993.
Hegi, Gustav. Illustrierte Flora von Mitteleuropa. Mit bes. Berücks. v. Oesterreich, Deutschland u. d. Schweiz. Zum Gebrauche in d. Schulen u. zum Selbstunterricht. Bd 1-7. Wien: Pichler, 1906.
MS London, British Library, Royal 12 D.xvii.
MS Durham, Cathedral, Hunter 100.
MS Oxford, Bodleian, Laud Misc. 567.
Olds, Barbara M.. The Anglo-Saxon Leechbook III: A Critical Edition and Translation. Diss. Univ. of Denver. 1985.
Storms, Godfrid (ed.). Anglo-Saxon Magic. Reprint of the 1948 ed. published by M. Nijhoff, The Hague. Norwood, Pa: Norwood Editions, 1975.
Wright, Cyril E. (ed.). Bald's Leechbook. Early English manuscripts in facsimile. 5. Kopenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger, 1955.
[1]:

In this context it could be profitable to discuss the question if our indication against "head worms" is in any way related to the use of R. ficaria against scurvy (cf. G Scharbockskraut).