![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hyssop (HIS-uhp) - n., any of several aromatic herbs of the genus Hyssopus, of the mint family, especially H. officinalis, native to Europe, having clusters of small blue flowers and highly pungent leaves; any of several related or similar plants, especially of the genera Agastache or Gratiola; an unidentified plant (Hebrew ēzōbh) mentioned in the Bible as the source of twigs used for sprinkling in certain Hebraic purification rites.
H. officinalis is sometimes used as a potherb, and has some medicinal use as a tea:
Thanks, WikiMedia!
In Middle English it was spelled ysope, from Old English ȳsōpe, from Latin hȳsōpum/hyssōpus, from Greek hussōpos, probably of Semitic origin, possibly even Hebrew ēzōbh but this is unclear -- the name of the Biblical plan is from the Septuagint, which used hussōpos to translate ēzōbh.
---L.
H. officinalis is sometimes used as a potherb, and has some medicinal use as a tea:
Thanks, WikiMedia!
In Middle English it was spelled ysope, from Old English ȳsōpe, from Latin hȳsōpum/hyssōpus, from Greek hussōpos, probably of Semitic origin, possibly even Hebrew ēzōbh but this is unclear -- the name of the Biblical plan is from the Septuagint, which used hussōpos to translate ēzōbh.
---L.
