borage

Where does the word "borage" come from? It comes from Arabic abu 'araq, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Borage’s story begins in Arabic: abu 'araq meant “father of sweat.” Literally father of sweat, a plant used to induce sweating as a remedy. It reached English by 1300s as borage. Settled as the word for the blue-flowered herb. Today, borage means a blue-flowered herb used in cooking and traditional medicine.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval abu 'araq "father of sweat", literally father of sweat, a plant used to induce sweating as a remedy.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s borage "a blue-flowered culinary and medicinal herb", settled as the word for the blue-flowered herb.