OF BRITISH PLANTS. 255 



WOOLD, a dyer's term, see WELD. 

 WOOLLEN, the mullein, from its woolly leaf, Fl. wolle- 

 kruydt, G. of Ort. San. c. 110, Wulkraut, 



Verbascum Thapsus, L. 

 WORM-GRASS, from its vermifuge qualities, 



Sedum album, L. 

 WORM-SEED, from its reputed vermifuge qualities, 



Erysimum cheiranthoides, L. 



WORMWOOD, a word corrupted from A.S. wermod, G. wer- 

 muth, O.H.G. werimuota, O.S. weremede, words which seem 

 to be compounded with G. wehren, A.S. werian, keep off, 

 mod or made, maggot, but which, by an accidental coinci- 

 dence of sound, have been understood as though the first 

 syllable were worm. L. Diefenbach would prefer to derive 

 it from a Celtic root that means " bitter," Wei. chwerw, 

 Corn, wherow. Be its origin what it may, it was under- 

 stood in the Middle Ages as meaning a herb obnoxious to 

 maggots, and used to preserve things from them, and was 

 also given as an anthelmintic or worm medicine. 



Artemisia Absinthium, L. 

 WORTS, see WHORTLEBERRY, 



Vaccinium Myrtillus, L. 



WORTS, in Chaucer a general name for cultivated plants, 

 A.S. wyrt, Go. aurts, Skr. vridh, grow ; but in Shakspeare 

 (M.W.W. act i. sc. 1), and in Lupton's Notable Things, 

 more especially cabbage, being an abbreviation of cole- 

 worts, Brassica, L. 



WOUNDWORT, from its soft downy leaves having been 

 used instead of lint for dressing wounds, 



Stachys Germanica, L. 



also, for the same reason, Anthyllis vulneraria, L. 



CLOWN'S, see under CLOWN. 

 KNIGHT'S WATER-, a plant that from its sword- 

 shaped leaves was supposed, on the doctrine of signatures, 

 to heal sword-wounds, Stratiotes abides, L. 



