liþ-wyrt

Old-English: lithvyrt, liþwyrt, liþwvrt, lyþwyrt,

Latin (Machine generated): ERIFEON, ERIFION, ERIPHION, OSTRIAGO,

• →wyrt;

• E: plant: introduced Probably by Romans (cf. http://www.englishplants.co.uk/grue.html).
  Galega officinalis L, goat's rue, Echte Geißraute
• D: plant: native
  Galium L., bedstraw, a species of ~, Klebkraut, eine Art von ~
• D: plant
  -, madder, a related plant like ~, Färberröte, eine verwandte Pflanze zur ~,
• A: plant: native Doubtfully native (cf. Clapham 1962,787).
  ? Sambucus ebulus L., dwarf-elder, Attich
• B: plant: native
  ? Viburnum L., wayfaring-tree, Schneeball
• C: plant: foreign
  ?? Ruta L., rue, Raute

• Comment on (A): ? Sambucus ebulus L., dwarf-elder, Attich

  Cf. Dur, note 157; in Dur 84 Chamedafne leothvyrt UEL hrafnes fot the name →leoþo-wyrt also denotes S. ebulus L. because chamedafne (Gk χαμαι-δάφνη), lit. ' low laurel, niedriger Lorbeer', not only denotes Daphne species but several kinds of low shrubs (cf. CAMEDAPHNE cneowholen; cf. →cnēow-holen),[1] and the name dwarf-elder, Zwergholunder clearly refers to the height of S. Ebulus L. The form →leoþo-wyrt and its phonetic explanation also supports our view. On other explanations cf. Dur 84. Cockayne (1961,II,398) and Hunger (1935,167) support this identification but base it on L OSTRIAGO.[2] If the glossator of Dur erred, we have to assume two plant names leoþu- (liþe-)wyrt and liþwyrt: as suggested s.v. →leoþowyrt the form leoþu- (replacing liþ-) is more frequent in compounds and an associative meaning 'flexible, biegsam' has to be assumed (cf. ClH, s.v.: leoþubīqe 'flexible, yielding'; leoþuwāc 'with supple limbs, flexible').

• Comment on (B): ? Viburnum L., wayfaring-tree, Schneeball

  Britten / Holland (1886,310) attempt an identification based on the ModE plant name: "Lithe-wort. An A.S. plant-name about which there seems to be some confusion [...] Prior (p.136) has Lithy-tree, which we have not elsewhere met with, as a name for Viburnum lantana L., and this may be a form of the same name." The spelling lithe- in Britten / Holland seems to indicate that these authors presume a long vowel, therefore the identification is not valid. Bosworth / Toller (s.v.) and von Lindheim also indicate a long vowel and suggest that līþ- originates from a compensatory lengthening after nasal loss (cf. Pinsker 1974, §19,4 and Schmitt 1908,104) from Proto Germanic *linþ- but the occurrences LB 40/14 and 40/23 clearly indicate that liþwyrt lit. 'limb wort, Gliedwurz is related to OE liþ, 'limb, joint; Glied, Gelenk' and therefore has a short vowel. Liþwyrt could be named after its use for rheumatic pains or arthralgiae; in the NED (s.v. lithwort) OE liþwyrt is related to liþ. The description 'flexible, biegsam' as suggested in our explanation on identificatin A also suits V. lantana.[3] D'Aronco (1998,50) refutes this identification on the basis that this plant was not used for medicinal purposes; Grieve (s.v. Guelder Rose) only lists V. opulus.

• Comment on (C): ?? Ruta L., rue, Raute

  According to Hunger (1935,168) the identification of ERIFION in HA, Ch. CXXVII (i.e. Ruta hortensis) is not secure; also cf. Laud 551, and WW 299/2 and the gloss ERIPHION liþwyrt from British Library Cotton Otho E.i. (Meritt 1961,446). In Laud 601 ERIFION is synonymous with RUTA ORTENSIS, which denotes R. graveolens (cf. Fischer 2001,282). Also cf. André (1985, s.v. ERIPHION), who suggests R. montana / R. chalepensis and R. graveolens as possible identifications. The description provided in HA CXXVII does not match any Ruta species (the text describes red flowers and seeds like beans) and there is no obvious connection between rue and S. ebulus. D'Aronco (1998,56) and Van Arsdall (2002,203) suggest Ruta chalepensis L., Gefranste Raute.

• Comment on (D): -, madder, a related plant like ~, Färberröte, eine verwandte Pflanze zur ~,

  André (1956, s.v.) identifies OSTRIAGO with Rubia tinctorum L.: "ostriago [...] plante qui devait donner un colorant rouge. Ostriago est glose liþwyrt en vieli anglais [...] à rapprocher de alld dial. Lidwurzel 'garance' [='Färberröte'] [...] v. rubea 1."[4] Marzell connects the name to Galium mollugo[5] which is akin to R. tinctorum (Marzell, 2000,2,579f): "lidewrtz 'SPERENTILLA' ahd Gl. 3,472,21 (11.Jh.); lidwrtz 'SPERENTILLA' ebd. 3,521,16 (14./15.3h.). Das Lemma scheint eine Galium-Art zu bezeichnen. Fischer, Pflkde 270 deutet SPERENTILLA als G. verum, vgl. auch Diefenb. 546a. lid wrcze 'RUBEA' 15.3h.: Diefenb., Nov.gloss. 320b lidwurtz 'RUBEA' 1438 Ebinger 102. Zu ahd. lith, lid 'Glied, Gelenk'." Also cf. G names like Gliedkraut, Gliederkraut, Glidlichrut, etc. (Marzell, ibid).

• Comment on (D): Galium L., bedstraw, a species of ~, Klebkraut, eine Art von ~

  The name, lit. 'limb wort, Gliedwurz', refers to the stalks of the plant which are strongly devided and which, signatura rerum, is frequently used against rheumatic illnesses (cf. Marzell 2000,2,580, s.v. Ga­lium mollugo).

• Comment on (E): Galega officinalis L, goat's rue, Echte Geißraute

  De Vriend (1984, 295) notes that an identification is very difficult: the drawings for XXIX in Mss. V, Ca, Ha do not depict Sambucus ebulus "whereas the illustrations of XCIII are a fair representation of Sambucus ebulus", for XXIX he suggests V. lantana (D'Aronco 1998,50: Rubia tinctorum). For CXXVII (1984,317) he suggests G. officinalis L. and explains that the description in Grieve (1971,s.v. rue, goat's) correspondents with the drawings in the manuscripts; the name ERIFION (ἒριφος ‚young goat’) is a striking parallel to goat’s rue.