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

Frank showed him the kitchen, the boot room, the larder stocked with herbs and jars of preserves and beans and a startling number of tins of anchovies.

From Literature

The dip is nothing fancy: Greek yogurt, a squeeze of lemon, a swirl of miso and whatever herbs happen to be languishing in the fridge — usually dill and parsley.

From Salon

Made from a blend of artichokes, spinach, herbs, spices and Swiss and Parmesan cheeses, the dip is best served alongside tortilla chips or toasted slices of fresh baguette.

From Salon

The window faces south, and I bet it would be a great place to have a little indoor herb garden.

From Literature

There are hammocks, a sand table and raised garden beds with fresh herbs that families can pick, smell and taste.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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