rosemary

rosemary · noun¹

1. Latin · derived fromrōsmarīnus“rosemary”
2. Old French · derived fromrosmarin
3. Middle English · inherited fromrosmarine
4. Middle English · inherited fromrosmary
5. English todayrosemary

From Middle English rosmary, rosemarye, alteration (based on rose + Mary) of earlier Middle English rosmarine, rosemaryn, partly from Old French rosmarin, partly directly from Latin rōsmarīnus (“rosemary”), from rōs (“dew, moisture”) + marīnus (“marine, of the sea”). Displaced native Old English boþen.

Rosemary · proper noun²

A combination of Rose + Mary, referring to the flower as a symbol of Virgin Mary, first recorded in the eighteenth century. It is found in continental Europe as Rosemarie and Rosa Maria. After mid-nineteenth century when flower names became common it may also refer to the herb rosemary, Latin ros marinus "dew of the sea".

Words from the same roots