masterwort

American  

[mas-ter-wurt, -wawrt, mah-ster-] / ˈmæs tərˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt, ˈmɑ stər- /

noun

1. a European plant, Astrantia major, of the parsley family, having pinkish-rose or white flower clusters with purplish bracts beneath.

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Etymology

Origin of masterwort

First recorded in 1540–50; master + wort ²

Example Sentences

Dr. Turner mentions the case of some Frenchmen at Antwerp, who, eating the shoots of this plant for masterwort, all died, with the exception of two, in forty-eight hours.

From Folk-lore of Shakespeare by Thiselton-Dyer, Thomas Firminger

There's wormwood, woodsorrel, masterwort, zedoary, and angelica; and lastly, there is a little bottle of the sovereign preservative against the plague, as prepared by the great Lord Bacon, and approved by Queen Elizabeth.

From Old Saint Paul's A Tale of the Plague and the Fire by Ainsworth, William Harrison