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Glite Dictionary
Mercurialis annua

Mercurialis annua

9.9
A small annual herb from Europe and North Africa that often grows as a weed
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Mercurialis annua
  • You can easily identify Mercurialis annua by its small greenish flowers and opposite leaves.

Examples

  • Historically, herbalists dried Mercurialis annua to prepare remedies for various ailments.

  • In some regions, Mercurialis annua is considered a troublesome weed.

  • Mercurialis annua grows rapidly in disturbed soil and can become an invasive weed in gardens.

  • The Mercurialis annua plant is often found in disturbed areas.

  • Mercurialis annua is often regarded as a weed due to its ability to thrive in disturbed environments.

  • Many gardeners find that Mercurialis annua can quickly overtake their flower beds if not managed carefully.

  • Once dried, Mercurialis annua was used in traditional medicine for its supposed healing properties.

Synonyms

herb mercury
vsMercurialis annua
  • UK
9.9

A small yearly weed once used in herbal medicine to make people throw up or pass water

is the scientific name of the same plant while this is a common name
boys-and-girls
vsMercurialis annua
  • Archaic
9.9

An annual plant sometimes considered a weed, once used in medicine to make people pass water or clear the bowels

is the scientific name of the plant while this is a folk or colloquial name

Surface Forms

Mercurialis annua singular
Mercurialis annuas plural

Morphology

Mercurialis + annua

This is a Latin binomial combining the genus name 'Mercurialis' (a herb) with the specific epithet 'annua', which transparently denotes 'annual' (i.e., an annual species). Since the overall meaning ('an annual Mercurialis herb') is directly composed from the two parts and Latin epithets are cross-linguistically used to indicate properties, a learner who knows both constituents can derive the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Mercurialis annua may come from the Roman god Mercury, because old herbalists linked this plant to strong medicines, and the Latin word annua means 'one-year'. That's why the name hints that it is a yearly herb once used as a medicine.