mullein

Meaning

Any of a few hundred species of European and Asian plants, of the genus Verbascum, especially that majority that have yellow flowers.

Synonyms

velvet plant

flannel leaf

mullen

Verbascum

great mullein

Verbascum thapsus

common mullein

flannel mullein

woolly mullein

mullein moth

Aaron’s rod

high taper

torch

verbascum

Translations

verbasco

molène

koningskaars

Königskerze

Verbascum

toorts

gordolobo

Königskerzen

verbasco

verbasco

Verbascum

بوصير

verbascum

verbascum

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈmʌlɪn/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: moleyne

Cognate with Breton: melen

Cognate with Welsh: melyn

In summary

From Middle English moleyne, from Anglo-Norman moleine, which is either a Celtic borrowing and derived from Proto-Celtic *melinos (“yellow”) from *meli (“honey”) – an adjective found in Breton melen (“yellow”) and Welsh melyn (“yellow”) – or from mol (“soft”), from Latin mollis (“soft”), referencing the plant's fluffy, downy leaves, also apparent in synonyms such as feltwort, flannel leaf, and velvet plant.