herb

¹ American  

[urb, hurb] / ɜrb, hɜrb /

noun

1. a flowering plant whose stem above ground does not become woody.

2. such a plant when valued for its medicinal properties, flavor, scent, or the like.

3. Slang. Often the herb. marijuana.

4. Archaic. herbage.

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idioms

1. give it the herbs, to use full power, especially in accelerating a car.

Herb ² American  

[hurb] / hɜrb /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Herbert.

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herb British  

/ ɜːrb, hɜːb /

noun

1. a seed-bearing plant whose aerial parts do not persist above ground at the end of the growing season; herbaceous plant

2. 1. any of various usually aromatic plants, such as parsley, rue, and rosemary, that are used in cookery and medicine

   2. ( as modifier )

      a herb garden

3. a slang term for marijuana

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herb Scientific  

/ ûrb /

1. A flowering plant whose stem does not produce woody tissue and generally dies back at the end of each growing season. Both grasses and forbs are herbs.

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Other Word Forms

• herbless adjective
• herblike adjective

Etymology

Origin of herb

1250–1300; Middle English herbe < Old French erbe, herbe < Latin herba

Example Sentences

Small plates with buckwheat brioche and whipped herb butter.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

According to the review, the herb influences several processes at the same time.

From Science Daily • Feb. 9, 2026

AGZ contains the herb ashwagandha along with magnesium, the spice saffron and more than a dozen other ingredients.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025

So, Meghan began experimenting with the herb, “drying all the different varieties she was growing,” and using it to infuse everything from oils to honey.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 4, 2025

I think about the new little herb garden I’ve started on the windowsill at Babs’s, thanks to her.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Related Words

• flower
• grass
• seedling
• shrub
• tree
• vine
• weed