Etymology

Jew's ear

Today it means: A kind of edible fungus (Auricularia auricula-judae), growing on tree-trunks, formerly used for medicinal purposes. Full definition →

Latin auricula Judae
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromauricula Judae“Judas's ear”
  2. English todayJew's ear

A mistranslation of mediaeval Latin auricula Judae (“Judas's ear”), from its shape, and its occurrence on the tree on which Judas Iscariot was supposed to have hanged himself.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.