herb

¹

[ urbor, especially British, hurb ]

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. Often the herb. Slang. marijuana.
4. Archaic. herbage.

Herb

²

[ hurb ]

noun

1. a male given name, form of Herbert.

herb

/ 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

herb

/ 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.

Derived Forms

• ˈherbˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• herb·less adjective
• herb·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of herb¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of herb¹

C13: from Old French herbe, from Latin herba grass, green plants

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

Example Sentences

Yoo had run two previous times for the District 10 seat, losing to incumbent Herb Wesson in 2015 and to Ridley-Thomas in 2020.

From Los Angeles Times

Practically indestructible, it’s a perfectly palm-sized piece of machined brass that features a lid that swivels closed, a permanent screen, a stash pod that stows about five bowls’ worth of herb and an onboard poker that holds the whole shebang together — when it’s not being used to clean the screen or bowl.

From Los Angeles Times

I took one of Kaufer’s Herb Walks in Ventura and came away enlightened on several points.

From Los Angeles Times

Lanny Kaufer is based in Ojai, but he’s been conducting Herb Walks through the wilds of Southern California for nearly five decades, pointing out the names and many uses of the region’s native and invasive plants.

From Los Angeles Times

But he indulged us by crafting an action-packed day filled with hiking, jet skiing to Catalina Island, drinking an “Herb Your Enthusiasm” cocktail at one of his favorite vegan restaurants and catching up on “Love is Blind.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• condiment
• dressing
• gravy
• pepper
• salt
• sauce
• spice