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POPULAR NAMES 



MOUTAN, from the Chinese Meu-tang, king of flowers, 

 the tree peony, Paeonia Moutan, L. 



MUDWORT, from its place of growth, 



Limosella aquatica, L. 



MUGGET, Fr. muguet, O.Fr. musguet, from L. muscatus, 

 scented with musk, a name applied in French to several 

 flowers, and to the nutmeg as noix muguette, in English to 

 the lily of the valley, Fr. muguet de Mai, 



Con vail aria majalis, L. 



MUGGET, PETTY-, Fr. petit-muguet, little dandy, a word 

 applied to effeminate dressy young men, Jemmy Jessamies, 

 with puffy yellow hair, Galium verum, L. 



MUG-WEET, GOLDEN-, a corruption of Fr. muguet, 



Galium cruciatum, DC. 



MUGWORT, a name that corresponds in meaning with its 

 synonym wyrmwyrt, wormwood, from O.E. mough, moghe, 

 or moughte, a maggot or moth, a word used by Hampole 

 (P. o. C. 1. 5572) : 



" And wormes and moglies on ]>e same raanere 

 Sal J?at day be in wittenes broght;" 

 and by Wycliffe (Matt. vi. 20) : 



" Where ne}?er ruste ne moughte destruye}> ;" 

 a name given to this plant from its having been recom- 

 mended by Dioscorides to ward off the attacks of these 

 insects, whence Macer (c. 3) de Absinthio : 



" A tineis tutam reddit qua conditur arcam." 

 and Wm. Bulleyn, speaking of wormwood, says, fol. 2 : 



"It kepeth clothes from wormes and mothes." 

 The name is explained by an old writer in MS. Arimdel, 

 42, fol. 35, as a form of Mothenvort. " Mogwort, al on 

 as seyn some, modirwort : lewed folk J?at in manye wordes 

 conne no rygt sownynge, but ofte shortyn wordys, and 

 changyn lettrys and silablys, J>ey corruptyn J?e o in to u, 

 and d into g, and syncopyn i, smytyn awey i and r, and 

 seyn mugwort." It is unnecessary to have recourse to this 



