English
leadplant
From lead + plant; its presence was supposed to indicate lead ore.
Proto-Indo-European *leyt- ‘to leave, die’
…
Proto-Germanic *laidijaną ‘to cause one to go, lead’
Proto-West Germanic *laidijan
Old English lǣdan ‘to lead’
Middle English leden
English lead
Latin planta ‘sprout, shoot, cutting’
Proto-West Germanic *plantu ‘plant’
Old English plante ‘young tree or shrub’
Middle English plante
English plant
The story
From lead + plant; its presence was supposed to indicate lead ore.
Today it means
noun a tall deciduous shrub of species Amorpha canescens, in the pea family, native to North America, with very small purple flowers grouped in racemes.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / leadplant