Officinalis

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Officinalis, officinale, or occasionally officinarum is a Medieval Latin epithet denoting organisms—mainly plants—with uses in medicine, herbalism, manufacturing, and cookery. It commonly occurs as a specific epithet, the second term of a two-part botanical name. Officinalis is used to modify masculine and feminine nouns, while officinale is used for neuter nouns.

Etymology

The word {{lang|la|officinalis}} literally means 'of or belonging to an {{wikt-lang|la|officīna}}', the storeroom of a monastery, where medicines and other necessaries were kept.{{cite book |author=Stearn, William T. |title=Botanical Latin |publisher=Timber Press (OR) |year=2004 |page=456 |isbn=0-88192-627-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w0hZvTFJUioC&pg=PA456}} {{lang|la|Officīna}} was a contraction of {{lang|la|opificīna}}, from {{wikt-lang|la|opifex}} (gen. {{lang|la|opificis}}) 'worker, maker, doer' (from {{lang|la|opus}} 'work') + {{wikt-lang|la|-fex}}, {{wikt-lang|la|-ficis}}, 'one who does', from {{lang|la|facere}} 'do, perform'.Online Etymology Dictionary, entry [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=officinalis&searchmode=none "officinalis"], accessed May 3, 2010. When Linnaeus invented the binomial system of nomenclature, he gave the specific name officinalis, in the 1735 (1st Edition) of his {{lang|la|Systema Naturae}}, to plants (and sometimes animals or fungi) with an established medicinal, culinary, or other use.Pearn J.,"On 'officinalis' the names of plants as one enduring history of therapeutic medicine. Vesalius. 2010 Dec;Suppl:24-8 Authors:

Species

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See also

  • Esculentus, a species name translating to 'edible'.
  • Hortensis, a species name roughly translating to 'of the garden'.
  • Oleraceus, an epithet denoting a species that has an extensive history of use as a vegetable and/or culinary plant.
  • Sativum, Sativus, or Sativa, a species name translating to 'cultivated'.
  • Tinctorius or Tinctoria, denotes a species that has a history of use for dyeing.

References