Forms: 5– borage, 6 bourage, 7 bourrage, 6–8 burrage, 7–8 borrage, 8 burridge. [from med.L. borrāgo, or one of the Romanic forms: cf. F. bourrache (also OF. bourrace), Pr. borrage, It. borraggine, borrace, Sp. borraja, Pg. borragom; in mod.L. borāgo; prob., according to Diez, f. borra, burra ‘rough hair, short wool’ (cf. late L. burra ‘a shaggy garment’), in reference to the roughness of the foliage.]
1. A genus of plants, giving its name to a natural order (Boraginaceæ). spec. The common British species (Borago officinalis), which has bright blue flowers, and stem and leaves covered with prickly hairs; it was formerly much esteemed as a cordial, and is still largely used in making cool tankard, claret cup, etc.
[c. 1265. Anglo-Norm. Voc., Wr.-Wülcker, 557. Borago, burage.]
c. 1420. Liber Cocorum, 47. Take most of cole, borage, persyl.
c. 1500. To serve a Lord, in Babees Bk. (1868), 370. Sawse hym with mustard, burage, suger.
1530. Palsgr., 202/1. Burrage (bourage) herbe, bovrache.
1533. Elyot, Cast. Helth (1541), 29. Bourage comforteth the harte, and maketh one merye.
1603. Holland, Plutarch’s Mor., 644. Some there be, who put leaves of burrage into their wine.
1619. Pasquil’s Palin. (1877), 155. No fiery red-fac’d Claret attended with his Borrage.
1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 31, ¶ 8. The same Effect as Burridge in the Glass when a Man is drinking.
1710. Salmon, Househ. Comp., 45. Borrage is one of the four cordial flowers.
1842. Sir W. Hooker, Brit. Flora, 225. Hence the old Adage—‘I Borage always bring Courage.’
2. Comb. and Attrib., as borage-seed, -water; borage-wort, any boraginaceous plant.
1626. Bacon, Sylva, § 441. Sow here and there some Borrage-seed.
1620. Venner, Via Recta, vii. 125. Eaten with … Borage-water and Sugar.
1882. Garden, 22 July, 60/1. A morbid craze for Borage-worts.
