Costmary

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An aromatic plant (Tanacetum balsamita), once used to flavour ale (prior to use of hops); also used as a bookmark in Bibles and other holy texts to dissuade silverfish and other pests. uncountable, usually

    "The Marigolde, and cherefull Rosemarie; / The Spartan Mirtle, whence sweet gumb does flowe; / The purple Hyacinths, and fresh Costmarie, / And Saffron, sought for in Cilician soyle"

  2. 2
    leaves used sparingly (because of bitter overtones) in sauces and soups and stuffings wordnet
  3. 3
    tansy-scented Eurasian perennial herb with buttonlike yellow flowers; used as potherb or salad green and sometimes for potpourri or tea or flavoring; sometimes placed in genus Chrysanthemum wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
alecostmint geraniumbalsam herbbible leafchrysanthemum balsamitatanacetum balsamita

Example

More examples

"The Marigolde, and cherefull Rosemarie; / The Spartan Mirtle, whence sweet gumb does flowe; / The purple Hyacinths, and fresh Costmarie, / And Saffron, sought for in Cilician soyle"

Etymology

From Latin costum, from Ancient Greek κόστος (kóstos, “an Oriental aromatic plant”), and Maria (“the Virgin Mary”); only indirectly related to English rosemary.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.