English
roselle
Roselle may come from French oseille ‘sorrel’.
- Frenchc. 1600–presentoseille‘sorrel’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1993roselle
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Frenchc. 1600–presentoseille‘sorrel’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1993roselle
Earliest quotation: 1993, Y.P.S. Bajaj, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants V: “Roselle has also been used as a source of…”
The story
Perhaps an alteration or misapprehension of French oseille denoting this plant, specific use of oseille sorrel; perhaps compare also sorrel.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’
hear, edge, egg, ear, hammer, eager, acute, axe, acne, oxide, vinegar, mediocre, mediocrity, paragon, acupuncture, acacia, exacerbate, acumen, acme, acuity, hark, acrid, acrimony, acerbic, exacerbation, rosacea, 71 more
through Latin aceō ‘to be sour’
acidity, acetate, acyl, 22 more
through Latin acidus ‘sour, tart, acid, bitter’
Today it means
noun Hibiscus sabdariffa, an edible flower in the hibiscus family used to make hibiscus tea.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / French oseille / roselle