spignel

English

WOTD – 22 August 2021

Etymology

A spignel (Meum athamanticum; sense 1) in the Berlin Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum, Berlin, Germany.

Part of the capillary leaf of a spignel (sense 1).

Either:

• an alteration of Middle English spigurnel (“unidentified broomlike flowering plant with medicinal uses”) [and other forms], borrowed from Anglo-Norman spigurnel, spigurnelle, and Anglo-Latin spigurnella, further etymology unknown; or
• from spike +‎ nail, because of the shape of its capillary leaves.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈspɪɡnəl/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: spig‧nel

Noun

spignel (countable and uncountable, plural spignels)

1. Meum athamanticum, an ornamental plant in the Apiaceae family found in mountain areas in Central and Western Europe, with roots and feathery leaves used as food and for medicinal purposes.

   Synonyms: baldmoney, bear's wort, bearwort, bear-wort, maldmoney, meon, meu, meum

   • 1562, Wylliam Turner [i.e., William Turner], “Of the Herbe Called Meon or Mew”, in The Second Parte of Guilliam Turners Herball⸝ […], Cologne: […] Arnold Birckman, →OCLC, folio 56, verso:

     I would gladly cõſẽt to thẽ yͭ holde yͭ yͤ herbe wich is called of the apothecaries feniculũ tortuoſum⸝ of yͤ Northẽ Engliſhe mẽ ſpiknel⸝ of the Duche mẽ berwurtz⸝ is yͤ true mew, if yͭ I could fynd any ſpicknel or berwurtz yͭ were of ij. cubites hygh. […] [W]here as the Mew of Mattiolus⸝ yͤ berwurtz of Germany & yͤ ſpiknel of Englãd (which peraduẽture was ones called Spiknard) haue a rough thyng like to the Iudiſh Spiknarde in the hygheſt parte of the root⸝ out of whiche the ſtalke cõmeth firſt furth⸝ the mew of Amatus hath yͤ ſame rough tuht lyke Spiknarde⸝ as he writeth in infirma parte⸝ in the loweſt parte of the roote⸝ which thyng if it be ſo⸝ neither Matthiolus nor I know the ryght mew; […]

     I would gladly consent to them that hold that the herb which is called of the apothecaries feniculum tortuosum, of the Northern Englishmen spiknel, of the Dutchmen berwurtz, is the true mew, if that I could find any spicknel or berwurtz that were of two cubits high. […] [W]hereas the mew of Matthiolus [Pietro Andrea Mattioli], that berwurtz of Germany and that spiknel of England (which peradventure was once called spikenard) have a rough thing like to the Judish spikenard in the highest part of the root, out of which the stalk cometh first forth, the mew of Amatus [Amatus Lusitanus?] hath the same rough tuft like spikenard, as he writeth in infirma parte, in the lowest part of the root, which thing if it be so, neither Matthiolus nor I know the right mew; […]

   • 1597, John Gerarde [i.e., John Gerard], “Of Wilde Parsley”, in The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes. […], London: […] Edm[und] Bollifant, for Bonham and Iohn Norton, →OCLC, book II, page 867, column 2:

     The ſhops of the Low countries haue miſcalled it in times paſt by the name of Meum, & vſed it for the right Mew or Spiknell woort.

   • 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book XX.] Of Meu, and Fenell, as well Gentle, Named Fœniculum; as Wild, which is Called Hippomarathrum, or Myrsineum: Of Hempe, and Fenell-geant: And of Thistles and Artichoux.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], 2nd tome, London: […] Adam Islip, published 1635, →OCLC, page 77:

     Meu or Spicknell is not found in Italy, unleſſe it be in ſome Phyſicians garden, and thoſe are very few that ſow or ſet it.

   • 1652, Nich[olas] Culpeper, “Spignel”, in The English Physitian: Or An Astrologo-physical Discourse of the Vulgar Herbs of This Nation. […], London: […] Peter Cole, […], →OCLC, page 222, column 1:

     The Roots of common Spignel do ſpread much and deep in the ground, many ſtrings or branches growing from one Head which is hairy at the top, of a blackiſh brown colour on the outſide and white within, ſmelling well, and of an Aromatical taſt, from whence riſe ſundry long ſtalks of moſt fine cut Leaves like hairs, ſmaller than Dill, ſet thick on both ſides of the Stalks, and of a good ſcent. […] Galen ſaith, The Roots of Spignel are available to provoke Urine and Womans Courſes, but if too much thereof be taken it cauſeth Headach: […]

   • 1706, Edward Phillips, compiler, J[ohn] K[ersey the younger], “Meu or Meum”, in The New World of Words: Or, Universal English Dictionary. […], 6th edition, London: […] J. Phillips, […]; N. Rhodes, […]; and J. Taylor, […], →OCLC, column 2:

     Mew, Spiknel, wild Dill, an Herb with a Stalk and Leaves like Anis: It is good to expel Wind, and to force Urine; as alſo for Mother-fits, Gripes, &c.

   • 1726, N[athan] Bailey, “MEW”, in An Universal Etymological English Dictionary: […], 3rd edition, London: […] J. Darby, […], →OCLC, column 1:

     MEW, the Herb call'd alſo Spikenel and wild Dill.

   • 1728, R[ichard] Bradley, “Apium Sylvestre sive Thysselinum. Wild Milk Parsley.”, in Dictionarium Botanicum: Or, A Botanical Dictionary for the Use of the Curious in Husbandry and Gardening. […], volume I, London: […] T. Woodward […], and J. Peele […], →OCLC, column 2:

     The Root ſpreadeth divers long Strings, blackiſh without, like the Meum, or Spicknel, and abideth many Years.

   • 1733, Philip Miller, “MEUM”, in The Gardeners Dictionary: […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: […] C[harles] Rivington, […], →OCLC, column 2:

     MEUM, […] Spignel.

   • [1840], William Rhind, “The Roots of Plants”, in A History of the Vegetable Kingdom; Embracing the Physiology, Classification, and Culture of Plants, […], Glasgow, Edinburgh: Blackie & Son, […], →OCLC, page 18:

     Roots are more generally odorous than the stems of plants, which is owing to an essential oil. Thus, ginger, horse radish, valerian, spignel, and sweet cicely, are pungent and aromatic; the root of white hellebore is bitter and nauseous.

   • 1854, Spencer Thomson, “A Few Words on the Economic Properties of British Wild Plants”, in Wanderings among the Wild Flowers: How to See and How to Gather Them. […], London: Groombridge & Sons, […], →OCLC, page 306:

     The root of the gout-weed (Ægopodium), of the meum or spignel, and of the sea-holly (Eryngium), have all of them been held in esteem for their aromatic stimulant properties.

   • 1947, Charles E[arle] Raven, “William How and Christopher Merret”, in English Naturalists from Neckham to Ray: A Study of the Making of the Modern World, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, →OCLC, part D (The Explorers), page 299:

     [T]he quacks who sell Mithridatic Lovage for Spignel deserve to be shown up.

   • 1984, Adam Watson, Elizabeth Allan, “Croft Muickan”, in The Place Names of Upper Deeside, Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, →ISBN, page 65, column 1:

     Croft Muickan […] from Creit Mhuiceann […], croft of baldmoneys or spignels.

   • 1989, A. Reif, “The Vegetation of the Fichtelgebirge: Origin, Site Conditions, and Present Status”, in Ernst-Detlef Schulze, Otto L[udwig] Lange, Ram Oren, editors, Forest Decline and Air Pollution: A Study of Spruce (Pica abies) on Acid Soils (Ecological Studies; 77), Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, →DOI, →ISBN, caption of figure 7, page 17:

     Spignel (Meum athamanticum; […]) is a characteristic species of many meadows of less fertile sites at higher altitudes.

   • 2007, Sylvester Johannis Phrygius, “The Ecloga prima Print”, in Peter Sjökvist, transl., The Early Latin Poetry of Sylvester Johannis Phrygius […] (Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis: Studia Latina Upsaliensia [Journal of Uppsala University: Uppsala Latin Studies]; 31), Uppsala: Uppsala Universitet, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 107, lines 18–20:

     Furthermore there was a garden, shining with different herbs, / in whose midst there was a limpid spring with fresh / water. With its water it nourished here garlic with spignels, / Cabbage, cress and turnips through an irrigating ditch.

   • 2015, Penelope Wilcock, chapter 5, in The Beautiful Thread (The Hawk & the Dove Series), Oxford, Oxfordshire: Lion Fiction, Lion Hudson, published 2016, →ISBN, page 140:

     You pluck a goose while it yet lives, then you butter and lard it well. A duck will do, but there's more meat on a goose. You set it within a ring of fires, supplied with a bowl of water with salt and spikenel in it.

   • 2017, Pedanius Dioscorides of Anazarbus, “Book I”, in Lily Y. Beck, transl., De materia medica (Altertumswissenschaftliche Texte und Studien [Classical Texts and Studies]; 38), 3rd edition, Hildesheim, Lower Saxony: Olms Weidmann, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 7:

     The spignel called Athamantic grows lavishly in Macedonia and Spain. In stalk and leaves it resembles the dill, but it is stouter than dill, shooting up to a height of about two cubits, spreading over its roots, which are delicate, horizontal and straight, long, aromatic, and warming the tongue.

   • 2020, Marwān ibn Janāḥ [i.e., Jonah ibn Janah], “mīm”, in Gerrit Bos, Fabian Käs, transl., edited by Gerrit Bos, Fabian Käs, Mailyn Lübke, and Guido Mensching, On the Nomenclature of Medicinal Drugs (Kitāb al-Talkhīṣ) (Islamic History and Civilization; 170), volume 2, Leiden, Boston, Mass.: Brill, →ISBN, →ISSN, paragraph 561 (folio 511;17–v,8), page 731:

     Mū (spicknel). I never met anyone who knew it and I have never seen a vernacular name for it. I myself think that it is the plant called in the vernacular mwr'nh. […] Mū is an Arabicized form of the Greek μῆον, the name of spicknel (baldmoney; Meum athamanticum Jacq., Apiaceae).

2. Preceded by a descriptive word: a plant resembling Meum athamanticum.
   • 1740, Philip Miller, “SESELI”, in The Second Volume of The Gardeners Dictionary: […], 2nd edition, volume II, London: […] C[harles] Rivington, […], →OCLC, column 1:

     SESELI; Wild-ſpignel.

   • 1851, “On the Culture of Carrots”, in The British Farmer’s Magazine, volume XIX, number LVIII (New Series), London: Henry Wright, […], →OCLC, page 482:

     It [the carrot] is the daucus of botany, and was well known to the Greek writers, but is thought to have been by them confounded with the Cretan spignel, or Candy carrot, which grows abundantly in that island, and of which a species is found on Gog-Magog hills, in Cambridgeshire.

3. (obsolete) The dried, powdered root of Meum athamanticum used as a cooking spice or a medicine.
   • 1747, “Electuaries. [Theriaca Andromachi. Venice Treacle.]”, in The British Dispensatory, Containing a Faithful Translation of the New London Pharmacopœia, […], London: […] Edward Cave, […], →OCLC, page 105:

     [G]entian root, celtic ſpikenard, ſpignel, (meum athamanticum) mountain poly leaves, St. John's wort leaves, […] each half an ounce, […]

   • 1897, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], “[Those Extraordinary Twins] Chapter VII”, in The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson: And the Comedy Those Extraordinary Twins, Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 411:

     [H]e wrote a doctor's hand—the hand which from the beginning of has been so disastrous to the apothecary and so profitable to the undertaker: "Take […] of opobalsamum, Indian leaf, cinnamon, zedoary, ginger, coftus, coral, cassia, euphorbium, gum tragacanth, frankincense, styrax calamita, celtic, nard, spignel, hartwort, mustard, saxifrage, dill, anise, each one dram; […]"

Alternative forms

• spicknel
• spikenel
• spiknel

Translations

Meum athamanticum — see baldmoney

Further reading

• Meum athamanticum on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Meum athamanticum on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• Meum athamanticum on Wikispecies.Wikispecies

Anagrams

• Eplings, Pingels, leg spin, pingles