Etymology

spikenard

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Today it means: A perfumed ointment, extracted from the plant Nardostachys jatamansi that belongs to the Valerian family and grows in the Himalayas. Full definition →

Middle English spikenard ← Anglo-Norman spicanarde ← Medieval Latin spīca nardī
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The story

  1. Medieval Latin · derived fromspīca nardī
  2. Anglo-Norman · derived fromspicanarde
  3. Middle English · inherited fromspikenard
  4. English todayspikenard

From Middle English spikenard, spikenarde, from Anglo-Norman spicanarde, from Medieval Latin spīca nardī, from Latin spica (“spike”) + nardi (“nard”). Equivalent to spike + nard.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.