costmary

American  

[kost-mair-ee, kawst-] / ˈkɒstˌmɛər i, ˈkɔst- /

noun

costmaries plural

1. a composite plant, Chrysanthemum balsamita, that has silvery, fragrant leaves and is used in salads and as a flavoring.

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costmary British  

/ ˈkɒstˌmɛərɪ /

noun

1. Also called: alecost.  a herbaceous plant, Chrysanthemum balsamita, native to Asia. Its fragrant leaves were used as a seasoning and to flavour ale: family Asteraceae (composites)

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• costmaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of costmary

1325–75; Middle English costmarie, equivalent to cost ( Old English cost costmary < Latin costum, costus a composite herb, Saussurea lappa < Greek kóstos ) + Marie (the Virgin) Mary

Example Sentences

Costmary is a hardy, perennial plant, with a hard, creeping root, and an erect, branching stem two or three feet high.

From The Field and Garden Vegetables of America Containing Full Descriptions of Nearly Eleven Hundred Species and Varietes; With Directions for Propagation, Culture and Use. by Burr, Fearing

Then Balm and Mint help to make up My chaplet, and for trial Costmary that so likes the Cup, And next it Pennyroyal.

From Old-Time Gardens Newly Set Forth by Earle, Alice Morse

Costmary, kost′mār-i, n. a herbaceous perennial composite of southern Europe, introduced from Italy in 1568, and cultivated in gardens for the fragrance of the leaves.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various