Forms: 3–4 came-, camamille, 5 camamylle, -melle, -myle, camomelle, 5–6 camomylle, 6 cammamyll, -myld, cam(m)omyle, camamile, -mil, -mel, camimile, chamomylle, -myle, chamœmell, 6–7 cammomill, 6–8 camomil(l, 7 chamamil, chamæmell, cammomel, chamœ-, chamemile, chamomel, (8 camomoil), 8–9 chamomile, 6– camomile. [a. F. camomille (also formerly camamille), ad. L. chamomilla (Pliny, etc.), an altered form of chamæmēlon (Pliny, Palladius, etc.), a. Gr. χαμαίμηλον earth apple (f. χαμαί on the ground + μήλον apple); so called from the apple-like scent of the blossoms. Cf. It. and Pr. camomilla, Sp. camomila, Fr. dial. camomile, camamile. The spelling cha- is chiefly in pharmacy, after Latin; that with ca- is literary and popular.]
1. The name of a Composite plant, Anthemis nobilis, an aromatic creeping herb, found on dry sandy commons in England, with downy leaves, and flowers white in the ray and yellow in the disk, but in cultivation often all white like a double daisy. The flowers are employed in medicine for their bitter and tonic properties. Also distinguished as Noble or Roman Camomile, White C., and in its single wild form as Scotch C.
c. 1265. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 557. Camomilla, camemille, maiwe.
1313. in Wardrobe Acc. Edw. II., 20 Camamille, 12d.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 59. Camamyle, herbe, camamilla.
a. 1450. E. E. P. (1862), 141. Vn-to a benche of camomylle My wofulle hede I dyd inclyne.
1483. Cath. Angl., 52. Camomelle, camomillum.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, XII. Prol. 116. The clavyr, catcluke, and the cammamyld.
1530. Palsgr., 202/2. Cammamyll herbe, camamille.
1540. Elyot, Image Gov. (1556), 63 b. The grounde was thicke covered with Camamile.
1548. Turner, Names of Herbes (E.E.T.S.), 13. Anthenus [Anthemis] … is called in englishe Cammomyle.
1573. Tusser, Husb. (1878), 95. Herbes of all sortes…. Camamel.
1586. Cogan, Haven Health (1636), 77. Chamæmell is hot and dry in the first degree.
1605. Timme, Quersit., I. vii. 33. The flowers of chamamil.
1660. Bond, Scut. Reg., 41. The Camomile the more it is trodden on, the better it groweth.
1748. Thomson, Cast. Indol., I. lviii. He bask’d him on the ground, Where the wild thyme and camomoil are found.
1794. Martyn, Rousseau’s Bot., xxvi. 397. Common or true Camomile … sometimes covers a considerable extent of ground on dry sandy commons.
1878. T. Bryant, Pract. Surg., I. 51. Warm fomentations … medicated with … chamomile.
b. Also used as an English book-name for the genus Anthemis, and popularly applied to several allied plants, esp. Matricaria Chamomilla (Wild Camomile, Dog’s C., German C., or Camomile Goldins); Anthemis Cotula (Stinking Camomile, Dog’s C., May-weed); Blue or Purple C., the Sea Starwort, Aster Tripolium; Red or Purple C., Adonis autumnalis (from its foliage).
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, II. xxx. 184. Stinking Camomill or Cotula fætida. Ibid., 185. Vnsauery Camomilla [M. inodora] or Cotula non fætida.
1597. Gerard, Herbal. II. 334. Women that dwell by the sea side, call it … blew Camomill.
1783. Ainsworth, Lat. Dict. (Morell), VI. Cauta, Dogs camomile.
1790–1820. Sowerby, Eng. Bot. (ed. 3), VI. 52. Corn Chamomile, Anthemis arvensis.
1859. Geo. Eliot, A. Bede, 214. The wild camomile that starred the road side.
2. Comb., as camomile-flower; also camomile-alley, an alley planted with camomile (see quot.); camomile-tea, an infusion of camomile flowers.
1626. Bacon, Sylva, § 96. A Physitian … prescribeth, for the Cure of the Rheume, that a Man should walke Continually vpon a *Camomill Alley; Meaning, that he should put Camomill within his Socks.
1652. Culpepper, Eng. Physic., 18. Boiled with … *Chamomel flowers.
1753. World, 37. I … am forced to attend with her *camomile tea.
