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cost·mar·y

(kôstmâr′ē)

n. pl. cost·mar·ies

A Eurasian perennial herb (Tanacetum balsamita syn. Chrysanthemum balsamita) in the composite family, having aromatic foliage sometimes used for potpourri, tea, or flavoring.

[Middle English costmarie : cost, costmary (from Old English, from Medieval Latin costus, from Latin costum, the Himalayan plant Saussurea costus having fragrant roots used in incense and perfumery, from Greek kostos, from Sanskrit kuṣṭhaḥ, probably of non-Indo-European origin) + Marie, Mary (perhaps after Mary, the mother of Jesus (in reference to the many traditional household and medicinal uses of costmary's aromatic leaves), or Mary Magdalene, traditionally depicted as anointing the feet of Jesus with fragrant unguent (in reference to the specific use of costmary to scent water for bathing the feet)).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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