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Etymology
Dictionary
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Origin and Etymology of the word
TARRAGON.
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From An Etymology
Dictionary of the English Language, by Walter W. Skeat, 1893. |
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TARRAGON,
the name of a plant. (Span.,—Pers.,—Gk.) 'Tarragon,
a certaine hearbe, good to be eaten in sallads with lettuce;' Baret (1580); Taragon
in Levins.—Span. taragontia; Minsheu also gives the form taragoncia,
which he explains by 'an herbe called dragons.' [Hence also F. targon,
'the herb tarragon;' Cot.]—Pers. tarkhún, dragon-wort;' Rich. Dict.
p. 389.—Gk.
δράκων, a dragon; see
Dragon. Thus the strange
form tarragon is nothing but dragon in a form changed by passing through an
Oriental language, and decked in Spanish with a Low Latin suffix (viz. -tia).
The botanical name is Artemisia dracunculus, where dracunculus is a double dimin.
from Lat. acc. draconem.
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| Etymology
Dictionary Index |
| A, B,
C, D, E,
F, G, H,
I, J, K,
L, M, N,
O, P, Q,
R, S, T,
U, V, W,
X, Y, Z
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| Key |
| Arab.=Arabic. |
| A.S.=Anglo
Saxon. |
| Bavar.=Bavarian |
| Bohem.=Bohemian. |
| C.=Celtic,
used as a general term for Irish, Gaelic, Welsh, Breton,
Cornish, &c. |
| Corn.=Cornish. |
| Dan.=Danish. |
| Du.=Dutch |
| E.=English. |
| E.E.=Early
English. |
| Europ.=European. |
| F.=French. |
| G.=German. |
| Gk.=Greek. |
| Goth.=Gothic. |
| Icel.=Icelandic. |
| Ital.=Italian. |
| L. or
Lat.=Latin. |
| Lith.
& Lithuan.=Lithuanian. |
| M.E.=Middle
English. |
| M.F.=Middle
French |
| M.H.G.=Middle
High German. |
| Norw.=Norwegian. |
| O.F.=Old
French. |
| O.H.G.=Old
High German. |
| Pers.=Persian. |
| Port.=Portuguese. |
| Scand.=Scandinavian,
used as a general term for Icelandic, Swedish, Danish,
&c. |
| Sc.=Scottish. |
| Skt.=Sanskrit. |
| Span.=Spanish. |
| Swed.=Sweish. |
| Teut.=Teutonic |
| Turk.=Turkish. |
| W.=Welsh. |
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