Where does “Herb” come from?

Herb (English) comes from Middle English herbe, from Old French erbe, from Latin herba, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- — to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow.

Herb (English): A plant whose stem is not woody and does not persist beyond each growing season

Definitions

  1. A plant whose stem is not woody and does not persist beyond each growing season

Ancestry of “Herb”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishherbeA herbaceous plant
2Old Frencherbegrass; herb
3Latinherbagrass, herbage; herb; weeds
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰreh₁-to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow

Words derived from “Herb”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- →Every word from Latin herba →Every word from Old French erbe →