herb

Etymology

From Middle English herbe, erbe, from Old French erbe (French herbe), from Latin herba. Initial h was restored to the spelling in the 15th century on the basis on Latin, but it remained mute until the 19th century and still is for many speakers.

noun

1. (countable) Any green, leafy plant, or parts thereof, used to flavour or season food.
2. (countable) A plant whose roots, leaves or seeds, etc. are used in medicine.
   If any medicinal herbs used by witches were supposedly evil, then how come people from at least the past benefited from the healing properties of such herbs?
   For twenty-five years he has done all sorts of odd jobs: digging ginseng (a herb) in the Long White Mountains, fishing in the Black River, and washing gold dust at Hailanpao. Without this education, he would never have become an undaunted revolutionary. 1973, Joe C. Huang, “The Formative Years - The Village”, in Heroes and Villains in Communist China: The Contemporary Chinese Novel as a Reflection of Life, New York: Pica Press, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 33
3. (uncountable, slang) Cannabis.
   You think he's got any herb? 1995, Harmony Korine, Kids, spoken by Casper
4. (countable, botany) A plant whose stem is not woody and does not persist beyond each growing season
5. (uncountable, obsolete) Grass; herbage.
6. (countable, US, slang) A lame or uncool person.
   George (AO) describes the tie between fighting and respect: 'Cause some people could come up to you and say, “Ah, he's a herb, he can't fight. He's nothing.” 2008, Maryann Dickar, Corridor Cultures: Mapping Student Resistance at an Urban School, page 88