tansy
[tan-zee]
- any of several composite plants of the genus Tanacetum, especially a strong-scented, weedy, Old World herb, T. vulgare, having flat-topped clusters of tubular yellow flowers.
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Origin of tansy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for tansy
Historical Examples
First, I picked the pigweed and tansy, or how could she have made the cheese?
Aunt Madge's StorySophie May
Mam' Chloe had given me tansy tea for a bad cold last winter.
When Grandmamma Was NewMarion Harland
Vivid streaks of tansy stretch in narrow lines for rods together.
In the OpenStanton Davis Kirkham
The Tansy has a strong scent, especially when you crush its leaves or stalks.
Flowers Shown to the ChildrenC. E. Smith
The name Tansy was given afterward to a rich fruit cake which had no Tansy in it.
Old-Time GardensAlice Morse Earle
tansy
- any of numerous plants of the genus Tanacetum, esp T. vulgare, having yellow flowers in flat-topped clusters and formerly used in medicine and for seasoning: family Asteraceae (composites)
- any of various similar plants
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Word Origin
C15: from Old French tanesie, from Medieval Latin athanasia tansy (with reference to its alleged power to prolong life), from Greek: immortality
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for tansy
n.
(Tanacetum vulgare), mid-13c., from Old French tanesie (13c.), from Gallo-Romance *tanaceta, from Late Latin tanacetum "wormwood," from shortened form of Greek athanasia "immortality," so called probably for its persistence. English folklore associates it with pregnancy, either as an aid to contraception or to provoke miscarriage.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper