herbage
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English herbage, from Old French erbage, from Early Medieval Latin herbāticum, from Latin herba (“grass”). By surface analysis, herb + -age.
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈhəːbɪd͡ʒ/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈ(h)ɚbɪd͡ʒ/
Noun edit
herbage (usually uncountable, plural herbages)
- Herbs collectively.
- Herbaceous plant growth, especially grass.
- 1841, Edgar Allan Poe, A Descent into the Maelström:
- I threw myself upon my face, and clung to the scant herbage in an excess of nervous agitation.
- 1891, Mary Noailles Murfree, In the "Stranger People's" Country, Nebraska, published 2005, page 97:
- The dank breath of herbage, sodden with rain, came to her; the mists were barely visible, hovering above the dark ravines.
- The fleshy, often edible, parts of plants.
- (law) The natural pasture of a land, considered as distinct from the land itself; hence, right of pasture (on another man's land).
Translations edit
herbs collectively
herbaceous plant growth, especially grass
right of pasture
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French edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Old French erbage, from Early Medieval Latin herbāticum, from Latin herba (“grass”). By surface analysis, herbe + -age.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
herbage m (plural herbages)
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
- “herbage”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Middle English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Middle French herbage, and Old French erbage, from Early Medieval Latin herbāticum; equivalent to herbe + -age.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
herbage (uncountable)
- Herbage (herbaceous plants, especially grass)
- Vegetables; garden plants.
- The right of pasture.
Descendants edit
- English: herbage
References edit
- “herbāǧe, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.