herb mercury

9.9

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

noun

: mercurio

The herb mercury grows wild in many gardens.

Examples

The leaves of herb mercury were historically dried and administered as a diuretic.
Early herbalists used herb mercury to prepare remedies for digestive problems.
Herb mercury, once valued for its medicinal properties, is now seen mainly as a garden weed.
Did you know that herb mercury can be used for medicinal purposes?
Herb mercury, once valued for its medicinal properties, is now seen mainly as a garden weed.
Early herbalists used herb mercury to prepare remedies for digestive problems.
The leaves of herb mercury were historically dried and administered as a diuretic.

Synonyms

Mercurialis annua

vsherb mercury

Specialized

9.9

A small annual herb from Europe and North Africa that often grows as a weed

is the common traditional name rather than the scientific label

boys-and-girls

vsherb mercury

Archaic

9.9

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

emphasizes smallness and common weed status rather than mere classification

Surface Forms

herb mercury singular

herb mercuries plural

Morphology

herb + mercury

While 'herb' clearly signals a plant, the element 'mercury' here is a historical/botanical name (not the metal), so the compound refers to a specific plant species and traditional medicinal uses rather than a literal combination of the two words. A B1 learner who knows 'mercury' as the toxic metal would not be able to derive the botanical sense or the medicinal meaning from the constituents, making the expression unpredictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Herb mercury got its name from the old god Mercury because people long ago thought the small herb worked quickly as a 'medicine'. That's why the name herb mercury stayed, even though today the plant is mostly just a 'weed'.