King James Bible Dictionary

1. Heb. eseb, any green plant; herbage (Genesis 1:11, 12, 29, 30; 2:5; 3:18, etc.); comprehending vegetables and all green herbage (Amos 7:1, 2).

2. Yarak, green; any green thing; foliage of trees (2 Kings 19:26; Psalms 37:2); a plant; herb (Deuteronomy 11:10).

3. Or, meaning "light" In Isaiah 26:19 it means "green herbs;" in 2 Kings 4:39 probably the fruit of some plant.

4. Merorim, plural, "bitter herbs," eaten by the Israelites at the Passover (Exodus 12:8; Numbers 9:11). They were bitter plants of various sorts, and referred symbolically to the oppression in Egypt.

HERB, noun erb. [Latin herba.]

1. A plant or vegetable with a soft or succulent stalk or stem, which dies to the root every year, and is thus distinguished from a tree and a shrub, which have ligneous or hard woody stems.

2. In the Linnean botany, that part of a vegetable which springs from the root and is terminated by the fructification, including the stem or stalk, the leaves, the fulcra or props, and the hibernacle.

The word herb comprehends all the grasses, and numerous plants used for culinary purposes.

HERBA'CEOUS, adjective [Latin herbaceus.] Pertaining to herbs. herbaceous plants are such as perish annually down to the root; soft, succulent vegetables. So, a herbaceous stem is one which is soft, not woody. herbaceous applied to animals by Derham, is not authorized. [See Herbivorous.]

HERB'AGE, noun Herbs collectively; grass; pasture; green food for beasts.

The influence of true religion is mild, soft and noiseless, and constant, as the descent of the evening dew on the tender herbage

1. In law, the liberty or right of pasture in the forest or grounds of another man.

HERB'AGED, adjective Covered with grass.

HERB'AL, noun A book that contains the names and descriptions of plants, or the classes, genera, species and qualities of vegetables.

1. A hortus siccus, or dry garden; a collection of specimens of plants, dried and preserved.

HERB'AL, adjective Pertaining to herbs.

HERB'ALIST, noun A person skilled in plants; one who makes collections of plants.

HERB'AR, noun An herb.

HERB'ARIST, noun A herbalist. [Little used.]

HERBA'RIUM, noun A collection of dried plants.

HERB'ARIZE. [See Herborize.]

HERB'ARY, noun A garden of plants.

HERB-CHRISTOPHER, noun A plant, of the genus Actaea.

HERB'ELET, noun A small herb.

HERBES'CENT, adjective [Latin herbescens.] Growing into herbs.

HERB'ID, adjective [Latin herbidus.] Covered with herbs. [Little used.]

HERBIV'OROUS, adjective [Latin herba and voro, to eat.] Eating herbs; subsisting on herbaceous plants; feeding on vegetables. The ox and the horse are herbivorous animals.

HERB'LESS, adjective Destitute of herbs.

HERB'ORIST. [See Herbalist.]

HERBORIZA'TION, noun [from herborize.]

1. The act of seeking plants in the field; botanical research.

2. The figure of plants in mineral substances. [See Arborization.]

HERB'ORIZE, verb intransitive To search for plants, or to seek new species of plants, with a view to ascertain their characters and to class them.

He herborized as he traveled, and enriched the Flora Suecica with new discoveries.

HERB'ORIZE, verb transitive To figure; to form the figures of plants in minerals. [See Arborize.]

HERB'ORIZED, participle passive Figured; containing the figure of a plant; as a mineral body.

Daubenton has shown that herborized stones contain very fine mosses.

HERB'ORIZING, participle present tense Searching for plants.

1. Forming the figures of plants in minerals.

HERB'OUS, adjective [Latin herbosus.] Abounding with herbs.

HERB-ROBERT, noun A plant, a species of Geranium.

Given for food
Genesis 1:29-30; Proverbs 15:17
Vegetation

HERB'WOMAN, noun erb'woman. A woman that sells herbs.

HERB'Y, adjective Having the nature of herbs. [Little used.]