English
haemony
Haemony may come from Latin Haemonia ‘Thessaly’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEHaemonia‘Thessaly’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1634haemony
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEHaemonia‘Thessaly’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1634haemony
Earliest quotation: 1634, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle: “He call’d it Hæmony, and gave it me /…”
The story
Coined by John Milton for the play Comus around 1634 (see quotation below). Various scholars suggest that the word comes from a classical source such as Latin Haemonia (“Thessaly”, a place associated with magic), Ancient Greek αἷμα (haîma, “blood”), or Ancient Greek αἵμων (haímōn, “skillful”).
Every English word from Latin Haemonia
Today it means
noun A magical plant mentioned by John Milton, said to be good against enchantments.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin Haemonia / haemony