Forms: 1 agrimonia, 4 egremounde, 4–5 egrimoigne, egremoyne, 4–6 egrymoyn(e, 5–7 egrimonie, -y, 6 egremonie, agremony, agrymonye, 5–6 agrimonie, 5– agrimony. [ad. L. agrimōnia (Cels.), said to be a transformation of Gr. ἀργεμώνη (Dioscor.), of unkn. etym. The Middle Eng. forms were adopted from Fr. aigremoine.]
1. A genus of plants (N.O. Rosaceae), of which one species (A. Eupatoria), to which the Eng. name is usually attached, is common in Britain.
1040–50. Sax. Leechd., I. 130. Þas wyrte þe man agrimoniam, & oðrum naman garclife nemneð.
c. 1328. Chester Pl., 119. Raydishe and egremounde which be my erbes.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Chan. Yeman Pr. & T., 247. And herbes couthe I telle eek many oon, As egrimoigne, valirian [v.r. egremoyne, egrymoyn(e].
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., Agrimony, or egrimony, herbe. Agrimonia.
1551. Turner, Herbal, I. 177. Agrimony groweth among bushes and hedges and in myddowes and woddes.
1604. Middleton, Courtly Masque, V. 196. I grant there’s bitter egrimony in ’em.
1671. Salmon, Syn. Medic., III. xxii. 389. Agrimony nobly opens the Liver and Spleen.
1866. Johns, in Treas. Bot., I. 31/1. Agrimony … contains tannin, and will dye wool of a nankeen colour.
2. Through confusion as to the application of Eupatoria and Liverwort, old names of Agrimony, the name has been, with or without qualification, extended to other plants. a. Bastard, Dutch, Hemp, or Water Agrimony, Eupatoria cannabina. b. Noble, Three-leaved Agrimony, Hepatica (Lyte). c. Water Agrimony, Bidens (Gerard). d. Wild Agrimony, Potentilla anserina (Lyte).
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, 57. There be sundry kindes of herbes called in Latine Hepatica or Iecoraria, that is to say, Lyuerwortes…. The two first kindes are Bastarde Agrimonie. The third is Three leaued Agrimonie, or Noble Lyuerwurte. Ibid., 57. In English wilde Tansie, Siluer weede, and of some wilde Agrimonie.
1597. Gerard, Herball, II. ccxl. 710. Water Hempe or Water Agrimony is seldomer found in hot regions.
