Etymology

feverfew

F4E1V4E1R1F4E1W4

Today it means: A European aromatic perennial herb, Tanacetum parthenium (or Chrysanthemum parthenium or Pyrethrum parthenium), having daisy-like flowers; valued as a traditional medicine, especially for headaches. Full definition →

Middle English feverfu ← Old French fevrefue ← Old English feferfuge
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Latin · derived fromfebrifugia
  2. Old English · inherited fromfeferfuge
  3. Old French · derived fromfevrefue
  4. Middle English · inherited fromfeverfu
  5. English todayfeverfew

From Middle English feverfu, feverfeu, feverfugie, modified by folk etymology from either Old French fevrefue or Old English feferfuge, both from Latin febrifugia, from febris (“fever”) + fugō (“to drive away”). Doublet of febrifuge.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.