Hyssop - Dictionary Definition and Overview

Hyssop :  (noun)
1: a European mint with aromatic and pungent leaves used in perfumery and as a seasoning in cookery; often cultivated as a remedy for bruises; yields hyssop oil [syn: Hyssopus officinalis]
2: bitter leaves used sparingly in salads; dried flowers used in soups and tisanes

Based on WordNet 2.0

Hyssop : \Hys"sop\, n. [OE. hysope, ysope, OF. ysope, F. hysope, hyssope, L. hysopum, hyssopum, hyssopus, Gr. ?, ?, an aromatic plant, fr. Heb. [=e]sov.] A plant ({Hyssopus officinalis). The leaves have an aromatic smell, and a warm, pungent taste.

Note: The hyssop of Scripture is supposed to be a species of caper ({Capparis spinosa), but probably the name was used for several different plants.

Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

Hyssop :  (Heb. 'ezob; LXX. hyssopos), first mentioned in Ex. 12:22 in connection with the institution of the Passover. We find it afterwards mentioned in Lev. 14:4, 6, 52; Num. 19:6, 18; Heb. 9:19. It is spoken of as a plant "springing out of the wall" (1 Kings 4:33). Many conjectures have been formed as to what this plant really was. Some contend that it was a species of marjoram (origanum), six species of which are found in Palestine. Others with more probability think that it was the caper plant, the Capparis spinosa of Linnaeus. This plant grew in Egypt, in the desert of Sinai, and in Palestine. It was capable of producing a stem three or four feet in length (Matt. 27:48; Mark 15:36. Comp. John 19:29).



Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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