Glossary 15 July 2020 Contents Words and phrases 20ti – twenty. Abortment – abortion, miscarriage. Introduction ......................................................... 1 Ac – Latin, and. Acalia – Althaea officinalis, marsh-mallows Words and phrases .................................................. 1 (see that entry). The Legal calendar ............................................. 34 Acetotus – Latin, acetose, Resembling or containing vinegar; sour or acidic like vinegar People named in the text ....................................... 36 (OED). Ad consistentia – Latin, to the consistency. Adder's tongue - any of various plants used to treat snakebites, or thought to resemble a Introduction snake's tongue (OED). This section includes words mentioned in the text, with addita - Latin, additions. Adops – not known. (hopefully) all the variant spellings. Search it by Affodil - daffodil (the name was originally cutting and pasting the word from the text into the asphodelus or asphodel (OED). search-bar. Latin terms are in italics; words in bold are After burden – afterbirth (OED). the modern spellings, where they exist. Sources, where Agnus castus - The plant Vitex agnus-castus or needed, are given in brackets at the end of each entry. its flowers, leaves or seeds, originally to reduce sexual potency or desire, and later OED is the Oxford English Dictionary; this is mainly to treat menstrual and menopausal available online at www.oed.com, but for access, you symptoms (OED). Also called vitex, chaste need to be a subscriber, or belong to a library or tree, chasteberry, Abraham's balm, lilac another institution that subscribes. The majority of chastetree, or monk's pepper (Wikipedia) public libraries in the UK do subscribe; if yours does Agremony, agrimony, egrimoye, egrimonye, egrymonye, eyrimonye– Agrimonia eupatoria, not, urge them to do so. a herb with small, serrated pinnate leaves and spikes of yellow flowers commonly used in Where other sources are available online, a link has medicine (OED). been provided. Where they are available only in print, Agricke, agarick, agaric, agarici - Latin, the surname of the author is given, with a page number agaricus, used for various bracket fungi, where available, and the relevant book or publication especially Fomitopsis officinalis; or a is listed in the separate Books and Sources document preparation of this (OED); Agaritive – not on this website. known but may relate to Agaric Ague, agewe – fever; ague cake – either The meanings of many words have not been traced; we enlarged spleen, or an amulet or poultice would be very grateful if anyone who tracks one down placed on the affected part of a person’s body. would contact us (events@newcastle- Albide – white (OED). antiquaries.org.uk) so that we can amend this Albyan – not known. Alder – the alder tree, Alnus glutinosa. The document. leaves and bark of this were used for many medicinal purposes (Wikipedia) aleblaster – alabaster, ornamental stone consisting of a fine-grained, compact, translucent form of gypsum or calcite (OED). 1 Glossary 15 July 2020 Alecost, allecoste - Costmary, Tanacetum succulent shrubs or trees with bitter juice balsamita, an aromatic herb widely cultivated (OED); aloes epatyke, epatic, epaticum, or for medicinal use and for flavouring ale hepatica - a preparation from this, given both (OED). to horses and men; aloes cicatrina, socotrine, Alembic, alembick, limbecke, limbeke, succotrine, or succatrina - a preparation from lymbecke, limbeck, limberke, a vessel for the the juice of the Aloe socotrina (or perryi), and distillation or extraction of essence; (OED). originally obtained from the island of Socotra See Wikipedia for an explanation of the (Goldstein. p. 63). See also entry for Lignum process. aloe. Alepacatrina, aleone palicon – not known, Alsa foetida, Asafoetida - a resinous gum with perhaps a patent medicine of the time. strong odour procured in central Asia from Alexanders, saunders - A tall biennial plant, narthex asafoetida (OED). Smyrnium olusatrum, cultivated for use as a Alsine meade – alternative name for herb or salad vegetable. Also called black chickweed, see that entry (Potter’s lovage, horse parsley, stanmarche, stanmarch Cyclopaedia). (See separate entry for another meaning of Alum, alome, allome, allam, allan - An saunders). astringent mineral salt, typically occurring as Aleyest, ale yeast - yeast produced in the colourless or whitish crystals. Sir Thomas brewing of ale (OED). Chaloner had begun to exploit the alum Alhandal – a term used in Arabian pharmacy deposits at Guisborough in North Yorkshire for the purgative extract of colocynth. See that during Elizabeth’s reign; Allom Plomosum – entry (Wikipedia). alum crystals with a feathery appearance; alias ibid – (Latin), another the same. alomed – having had alum applied; roch allam, Alkanet, arkenet, alkennett, aconet, possibly roche allam, roche allome, roach allum - also organent - the plant Alkanna tinctoria, recrystallized alum (OED). whose roots yield a red dye (OED). Also Ambergris, Ambergrease – A wax-like called Spanish bugloss and enchusa. substance of marbled ashy colour, found Alkekenge – the red winter cherry or red floating in tropical seas, and as a secretion in nightshade (OED). the intestines of the sperm-whale (OED). Alkermes - The dried bodies of scale insects Ambrose, An English herb, possibly Wood found in the Mediterranean region on the Sage but also used for other plants. Also kermes oak; confection of alkermes - a sometimes called Ambrosia, the food of the medicinal preparation of these insects with Gods in Greek fables (OED). rose water, sugar, oil of cinnamon, and Ana, often abbreviated to an – (Latin) of each, sometimes other ingredients; Alkermes root - an equal amount. the root of the kermes oak (OED). Ancecoccum – unknown Alle - ale Anemoniarum – (Latin, genitive case) Alleluia – the herb wood sorrel (OED). Anemones Allicompain, allocompane, elacampane, Angelica, angell, angellyca - an aromatic elecampaine, elecampayne, elecompane, umbelliferous plant native to northern and elecampane, elicompaine, ellicompaine, eastern Europe, Angelica archangelica (family elycompaine, elana campana, enula campana – Apiaceae), cultivated for its seeds and stems A perennial composite plant, also called (OED). Horse-heal or eldfdock (Inula Helenium), with Angillparte, angleparte – possibly anglepod, very large yellow radiate flowers and bitter any of several plants (genus Gonolobus) that aromatic leaves and root (OED). have angled pods (as G. gonocarpos) Alligant – alicant, a type of wine produced in (Merriam Webster) Alicante in eastern Spain (OED). angiltothe, angletouche – not known, possibly Allmayne, Almayne, Almaygne – Germany, earthworm German (OED). Annisated - Annisated balsam of sulphur was alloe – aloe, an aromatic of several South-East made by adding oil of aniseed to brimstone, Asian trees of genus Aquilaria, or any of boiled in oil, to be used for coughs. (Blaine) various plants in the tropical genus Aloe, Annisseed, annys, annis seeds – aniseed 2 Glossary 15 July 2020 Annyll – not known. Asarabacca, asarabaucha - the herb asurum Anphire – not known. europaeum, also known as wild spikenard, a-nyghtes – at night (OED). (Wikipedia). Apeganle, apegalle – sore (Norri) Ashen keyes, ash-keys – the seeds of the ash- apostolicon – a type of plaster (Norri) tree. Appoponacye, appoponac, appoponake, Aske, ask – need or require. opoponax, oppoponax, opobalsam - one of a Asmay – asthma. number of gum resins traditionally considered assaye, assay – test. to have medicinal properties. OR the plant At twice - on two occasions (OED). Opopanax chironium, common name Athanasya - (Greek) Deathlessness, Hercules-all-heal, also known as sweet myrrh immortality or bisabol myrrh (Wikipedia). Aumber –may mean either ambergris (see Approvedlye – probably ‘proven’. above), or amber, the fossilised resin from aqua – (Latin) water; the word can also be prehistoric trees found on the shores of the used where we would use ‘juice’; aqua Baltic . There was confusion between the two benedicta – blessed water; aqua composita, at the time; Spiritt of Amber - a dibasic acid aquacomposita – compound water, a spirit obtained by the dry distillation of amber; distilled from wine to which herbs and spices amber orient – not known, but probably a resin have been added. (Norri); Aqua mirabilis, et or gum the colour of amber (OED). praetiosa – the miracle water, and precious Avens, avans, avance (probably also Sweet Aquavita, aquavite, aquavitie – aqua vitae, Evens) – Popular name of two species of the (Latin, water of life), a generic term for genus Geum (family Rosaceæ), the Wood distilled liquors but most usually in the 17th Avens or Herb Bennet (see that entry) (G. century refers specifically to brandy; by the urbanum), used medicinally and to give a 18th century may refer to a grain based spirit clove-like flavour to ale, and Water Avens ( G. (Wikipedia) rivale) (OED). archangel, archangell – any of the herbs dead- Ayre – air nettle (also called blind nettle or bline nettle), Balme, balm, baume, bawme - An aromatic black stinking horehound, or angelica (OED) substance, consisting of resin mixed with Aristolochia, aristrologia rotunda, probably volatile oils, exuding naturally from various also Aristolothia, a herb of the genus trees of the genus Balsamodendron, and much Aristolochia, (also called birthwort) (OED). prized for its fragrance and medicinal Armhole – armpit