From Latin 'herba' (grass, plant) — may predate Indo-European entirely, possibly a pre-IE substrate word the Romans absorbed.
Definition
Any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavouring, food, medicine, or perfume; in botany, a seed-bearing plant without a woody stem.
The Full Story
Latin13th centurywell-attested
From OldFrench 'erbe' (herb, grass), from Latin 'herba' (grass, herb, herbage, plant), of uncertain ultimate origin. Some scholars have proposed a connection to PIE *gʰreh₁- (to grow, to become green), which also producedEnglish 'grow,' 'green,' and 'grass' — but this is speculative, as the Latin 'h-' is difficult to reconcile with the PIE velar. Others suggest 'herba' may be a substrate loanword from a pre-Indo-European language
Did you know?
Americans say /ɜːɹb/ (silent h) and Britons say /hɜːɹb/ (sounded h) — but the American pronunciation is actually older. Old Frenchdropped the Latin h entirely ('erbe'), and Englishborrowed the h-less form. British English later restored the h by spelling pronunciation in the 19th
from Latin, where 'herba' meant any green plant or grass, to English, where it specifically denotes plants used for flavoring, medicine, or fragrance. The Latin word produced a vast botanical vocabulary: 'herbal,' 'herbivore' (herb-eater), 'herbicide' (herb-killer), 'herbarium' (a collection of dried plants), and 'superb' (Latin 'superbus,' originally 'above the grass,' i.e., outstanding).' Key roots: herba (Latin: "grass, green plant, herb").