old man's pepper
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.92 in modern English
22
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Achillea millefolium or common yarrow, a flowering plant native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "It’s foliage is slightly pungent, and hence its familiar name of Old Man’s Pepper. The Icelandic appellation of this plant, Vall humall, Field hop, seems to imply that it has been used instead of hops in that island, as it still is in some parts of Sweden."
- "The leaves are pungent and were formerly mingled with colder herbs as a seasoning; Hence called “Old man’s pepper.”"
Etymology
Compound of old + man's + pepper, presumably so-called for its pungent flavor (see quotations below).