rosemary

rosemary
\ \ [15] Originally, rosemary had no connection with either ‘roses’ or ‘Mary’.
\ \ Etymologically it means ‘sea-dew’. It comes, probably via Old French rosmarin, from late Latin rōsmarīnum. This in turn was a conflation of Latin rōs marīnus, rōs meaning ‘dew’ and marīnusof the sea’ (an allusion to the fact that the plant grew near sea coasts). The word originally entered English in the 14th century as rosmarine, but association with rose and Mary (the Virgin Mary, no doubt) led to its alteration to rosemary.
\ \ Cf.MARINE, MERE, MERMAID

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Rosemary — Rose ma*ry, n. [OE. rosmarine, L. rosmarinus; ros dew (cf. Russ. rosa, Lith. rasa, Skr. rasa juice) + marinus marine: cf. F. romarin. In English the word has been changed as if it meant the rose of Mary. See {Marine}.] A labiate shrub… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Rosemary — Personnage de fiction Genre Féminin Activité(s) Conseill. psychologique Ex analyste à la NSA …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Rosemary — [rōz΄mə rē′rōz′mer΄ē, rōz′mə rē] n. [see ROSEMARY] a feminine name: var. Rosemarie [rōz΄mə rē′] …   English World dictionary

  • Rosemary — f English: a 19th century coinage, from the name of the herb (which is from Latin ros marīnus sea dew). It is often also assumed to be a combination of the names ROSE (SEE Rose) and MARY (SEE Mary). Cognate: German, Scandinavian: Rosemarie. Pet… …   First names dictionary

  • rosemary — (n.) mid 15c., earlier rosmarine (c.1300), from L. rosmarinus, lit. dew of the sea (Cf. Fr. romarin), from ros dew + marinus (see MARINE (Cf. marine)). Perhaps so called because it grew near coasts. Form altered in English by influence of rose… …   Etymology dictionary

  • rosemary — ► NOUN ▪ an evergreen aromatic shrub of southern Europe, the leaves of which are used as a herb in cooking. ORIGIN from Latin ros marinus, from ros dew + marinus of the sea …   English terms dictionary

  • rosemary — [rōz′mer΄ē] n. [altered (after ROSE1 & MARY1) < earlier rosmarine < L ros marinus (also ros maris), lit., dew of the sea < ros, dew (< IE * rosā < * eres, to flow: see RACE1) + marinus,MARINE] an evergreen herb (Rosmarinus… …   English World dictionary

  • Rosemary — For other uses, see Rosemary (disambiguation). Rosmarinus officinalis Rosemary Rosemary in flower Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Rosemary — Rosemarie ist ein weiblicher Vorname. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Herkunft und Bedeutung des Namens 2 Namenstag 3 Bekannte Namensträgerinnen 4 Varianten // …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • rosemary —    According to traditional lore, rosemary is a versatile little plant, and in general its uses are positive. Lines in A Nosegaie Alwaies Sweet, for Lovers to Send for Tokens of Love ... (c.1582), provide the famous definition of rosemary for… …   A Dictionary of English folklore

  • rosemary — /rohz mair ee, meuh ree/, n., pl. rosemaries. an evergreen shrub, Rosmarinus officinalis, of the mint family, native to the Mediterranean region, having leathery, narrow leaves and pale blue, bell shaped flowers, used as a seasoning and in… …   Universalium

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