English

lousewort

From louse + wort.

A compound of louse + wort

Proto-Germanic *lūs

Proto-West Germanic *lūs

Old English lūs

Middle English lous

English louse

Proto-Indo-European *wréh₂ds ‘a root’

Proto-Germanic *wrōts ‘a root’

Proto-West Germanic *wurti ‘a root’

Old English wyrt ‘a plant’

Middle English wort ‘any herb or plant’

English wort

Today it means

noun Any of very many semiparasitic flowering plants, of the genus Pedicularis, related to wood betony.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / lousewort