Random Word Post – figwort
@oneoveralpha (434)
Brookville, Pennsylvania
April 24, 2016 10:49am CST
I find a random word by flipping through my 2003 The New Webster’s Concise Dictionary and write a quick – often silly – little post about it.
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“figwort – 1 A plant with small, dark-colored flowers, formerly supposed to cure scrofula. 2 Any plant of the figwort family.”
Interesting. But it does raise the question, what the hell is scrofula?
“scrofula – Tuberculosis of the lymph glands.”
Tuberculosis, by itself doesn’t sound good. Tuberculosis of the lymph glands sounds worse.
1 response
@owlwings (43902)
• Cambridge, England
24 Apr 16
These words raise all sorts of questions in my mind:
Why is it called figwort? (The plant has nothing to do with figs and nor does it look anything like a fig, as far as I know!)
What is the origin of the word 'scrofula'? It comes from the Latin 'scrofa' meaning 'a breeding sow' but WHY the disease has anything to do with a 'little breeding sow' is beyond me!
The Latin name for the plant (Scrofularia) clearly comes from its use as a medicine for scrofula but did you know that another name for the disease is "The King's Evil" and it was supposed that just a touch from a reigning monarch could also cure it.
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