Plants & CreaturesGreek → English
Chamomile
/ˈkæməmaɪl/noun
A low daisy-like herb whose dried flowers are steeped into a calming tea.
The Greek roots
χαμαί
khamaí
on the ground
μῆλον
mêlon
apple
Literally: “earth apple”
The story of the word
Crush the flowers and they smell of apples, which is exactly what the Greek name records. Spanish arrived at the same idea independently and calls it manzanilla, little apple. The χαμαί half also sits inside chameleon, the lion that goes along the ground.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → Old French → English
- First recorded
- 14th century
The same roots elsewhere
Other languages reached for exactly the same Greek pieces.
Same family
chameleonmelonmarmalade
In a sentence
She grows chamomile along the path so it releases its scent when you walk on it.