OF BRITISH PLANTS. 171 



German herbals, applied as Wild Ireos, to the water flower 

 de luce, and to the stinking gladdon. Iris, L. 



OSIER, Fr. osier, M.Lat. oseria, whence oseretum, a 

 withy-bed, from a Celtic word meaning water, or ooze, 

 that has given its name to the Oise in France, and to 

 several rivers in England, spelt according to the dialect of 

 the district, Ouse, Ose, Use, or Ise, and which in M.Lat. 

 would have made Osa, whence an adjective osaria, aqueous, 

 and osier. Salix viminalis, L. 



OSMUND, OSMUND ROYAL, or OSMUND THE WATERMAN, 

 apparently a corruption of G. gross mond-kraut, greater 

 moon-wort, representing its ancient officinal name lunaria 

 major. There are other derivations of it, such as that by 

 Beckmann, from the name of some person ; by Nemnich, 

 on the authority of Houttuyn, from os, mouth, and mundare, 

 cleanse ; by others from os, bone, and mundare, cleanse. 

 The Waterman would seem, to be its Flemish name, Water- 

 varn. The Royal refers, we are told by Lobel (Kruydb. i. 

 p. 991), to its great and excellent virtues. 



Osmunda regalis, L. 



OSTERICK, M.Lat. ostriacum, apparently a corruption of 

 L. aristolochia, a name transferred to it from another plant, 



Polygonum Bistorta, L. 



OUR LADY'S BEDSTRAW, etc. See LADY'S. 



OWLER, a corruption of Aller, the alder tree. 



OX-EYE, the great daisy, a translation of L. bupkthal- 

 mus, Gr. @ov<f>0a\fjiov, a name now appropriated to a different 

 genus, Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum, L. 



OX-HEEL, or more properly OX-HEAL, A.S., oxnalib, 

 from its being used in settering oxen. See SETTERWORT. 



Helleborus foatidus, L. 



OXLIP, A.S., oxan-slippe, a word that, like Cowslip, is 

 of very uncertain derivation. 0. Cockayne (in Leech, ii. 

 p. 378) suggests that the second syllable may be slyppa, a 

 soft viscid mass, but leaves unexplained what this has to do 

 with the plant. Primula veris caulescens, L. elatior, Jacq. 



