76 POPULAR NAMES 



a modified form of A.S. feld-wyrt, which there is little 

 doubt arose from a confusion between L.fel and A. S.feld, 



Gentiana, L. 



FELON-WORT, or -WOOD, the bittersweet, from its use in 

 curing whitlows called in Latin furunculi, little thieves, 

 that is, felons, Solanum Dulcamara, L. 



FEN-BERRY, from its growing in fens, the cranberry, 

 Vaccinium Oxycoccos, L. 



FEN-RUE, from its divided rue-like leaves and place of 

 growth, Thalictrum flavum, L. 



FENKEL, and FENNEL, M.L&t.fanculum, from L.fanicu- 

 lum, Y.fenouil, F. vulgare, Gart. 



DOG'S-, from some similarity of its leaf to fennel, 

 and its bad smell, Anthemis Cotula, L. 



FENNEL-FLOWER, from its fennel-like finely divided 

 leaves, Nigella damascena, L. 



FERN, A.&.fearn, G.farnkraut, Du. varenkruidt, a word 

 of obscure origin, but from the appended kraut and kruidt 

 to the G. and Du. synonyms, one that seems to be ex- 

 pressive of some use or quality. It has been, with great 

 plausibility, referred to forms of the word feather, Gt.feder, 

 SI. pero, Gr. Trrept? and Trrepov, and suggested that it may 

 be connected with Skr. parna, which means both a leaf and 

 a feather, and with L.frons. It seems a more easy and 

 natural explanation of the word to trace it to the use of 

 these plants for littering cattle, A.S. fear, G.farr, Du. 

 var, a bullock, in which the change of the letters exactly 

 corresponds to that which takes place in the names of fern 

 in the same languages. It might also be connected with 

 the name of the pig, A.S.fearh, Du. varken, G.ferkel and 

 ferken, L. verres, Skr. var&ha. Matthioli (1. iv. c. 179), 

 speaking of Pteris, and Filix mas, says : " Utriusque 

 radice sues pinguescunt ;" and in a charter of A.D. 855, 

 in Thorpe's Diplomatarium, p. 113, pascua porcorum is 

 translated fearnleswe. In some old German works the 



