æþel-feorþing-wyrt

Old-English: æþelferðingwyrt, æðelferðingwyrt, æðelferþincwyrt, æðelferðþincwyrt, æþelferðingcwyrt, æðelferðingcwyrt, æðelferðincwert, æþelferðincwyrte, æþelferþincgwyrte, ælþelferþingcwyrte, æþelferþincgwyrt, æþelferþincwert, æþelferþingcwyrt, æþelferþþincwyrt, æþelfyrdingwyrt, alferthīguert, eathelferthingvyrt, elfortingwyrt, alferthiguert, æþelferþingwyrt,

Latin (Machine generated): AGRIMONIA ALPHA, AGRIMONIA, ALFA, ALFA, ARGIMONIAE, SPINCIUM,

• →wyrt;
• →æferþe;

• A: plant: native
  ? Stellaria holostea L., greater stitchwort, Große Sternmiere
• B: plant: native
  ? Stellaria media (L.) Vill., common chickweed, Vogel-Sternmiere

• Comment on (A): ? Stellaria holostea L., greater stitchwort, Große Sternmiere

  Most of the L lemmata in the glosses are obscure. It is not possible to simply identify the plant as 'Agrimonia eupatoria L., agrimony, Kleiner Odermennig' although in HA it translates AGRIMONIA twice: in LA AGRIMONIA and æþelferþingwyrt occur together and the common translation of the HA is →gār-clīfe. L-Gk. AGREMONIA (= AGRIMONIA) is not distinct. (cf. André 1985,s.v.).

  Prior identifications: Holthausen (1974, s.v.): "ferþing-wyrt f. 'Kamille', unbek. Herk." (chamomile, origin unknown). The form 'ferþing-wyrt' is not recorded anywhere. We cannot explain why Holthausen chose 'chamomile'; neither can Kitson (1988,108).

  Hoops (1889,18) suggests 'Edelpfennigkraut' (ae. fēorþing 'farthing') as a possible identification and describes a plant with yellow leaves the size of a penny - but he seems uncertain of the plant's real identity. Nevertheless, the name 'Edelpfennigkraut' (or maybe better 'Edelfarthingkraut'?) seems to be a contradiction in terms because a 'farthing' was "too minute a coin to be conjoined with the concept 'noble'." (Kitson [1988,108] translating Bierbaumer's original arguement.) He adds: "[...] early farthings were normally made by cutting pennies physicaly into four quarters; the resulting quadrant is not the commonest leaf- or flower-shape."

  Cockayne II,369 provides the most tenable identification so far: His identification is based on the gloss AUIS LINGUA in the LA. This gloss is dated to the 13th century by Grattan and Singer (1952,122). Also cf. Britten and Holland, s.v.: "Stichewort. 'The herb LINGUA AVIS. It occurs in MS. Sloane, 5,f.5.' Hal. Stellaria Holostea. See Bird's-tongue (1)." Kitson (1988,108-109) indicates that he values this gloss as less important and observes that Cockayne has omitted to argue why he chose to identify the plant as Stellaria holostea L. in the end. He tries to retrace Cockayne's reasons, whom he expects to adopt the same etymological line of thought as Holthausen. Kitson assumes that Cockayne made his choice of identification through the optical appearance of the plant in early spring and sums up: "[...] none has anything like the splendour that stitchwort does." Nevertheless, his elaborate discussion of this point is not convincing.

  Von Lindheim's speculation on the fact that a personal name provides the basis for the plant name seems more likely as etymological basis. There also are other plant names to support this theory: →witmǣres wyrt, →tuning-wyrt and →tungilsin-wyrt, →simering-wyrt. Therefore æþelferþingwyrt could be seen as related to Æþelferþ 'Edel-fried' (Borouski 1921,137), a personal name recorded in Kentish charters. Kitson (1988,109) supports this theory and notes as "provoking coincidence that the other personal names on OE plant-names contain the elements siege 'victory' and/or -mǣr 'glorious'. These might reflect a pattern, which æþel- 'noble' might also fit [...]." He also notes another fact further backing this theory: the plant name is not recorded in ME, and "obsolence of an embedded personal name would tend to hasten obsolence of a plant-name with it as defining element" (110-111). Biggam (1997,171) doubts this etymological explanation but does not suggest an alternative.

• Comment on (B): ? Stellaria media (L.) Vill., common chickweed, Vogel-Sternmiere

  Pollington (2000,98) and Pettit (2001, glossary) also suggest Stellaria media (L.) Vill., common chickweed, Vogel-Sternmiere (see →cicena mete; both without any further explanation. They seem to refer to Cameron (1993, 112-113) where he argues on the basis of indications to add this plant as possible meaning for the OE plant name.