gith
(gɪθ)
Forms: α. 4, 6 gitte, 6–7 git. β. 7 githen, 4– gith.
[a. L. gith, git, gicti, of unknown origin.]
A name for plants of the genus Nigella, esp. N. sativa. damask gith = N. damascena.
| α a 1387 Sinon. Barthol. (Anecd. Oxon.) 16 Ciminum Ethiopicum, gitte. 1548 Turner Names of Herbes, Git is named..in englishe herbe Git or Nigella romana. 1608 Topsell Serpents (1658) 775 Take of the seeds of Git or Nigella ten drams. |
| β 1382 Wyclif Isa. xxviii. 27 Forsothe not in sawes shal he throsshe gith. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. lxxxii. (1495) 652 Gyth is a manere potage moche lyke to Comyn..and growyth amonge corne wyth smalle sede..and some meaneth that the herbe Gyth is Nigella. c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. x. 155 And gith is last eke in this mone ysowe. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. (1586) 53 The onion and gith. 1611 Cotgr., Gith, Hearbe githen, Nigella Romana. 1661 Lovell Hist. Anim. & Min. 268 They may be driven away..by the smoake of gith and hemlock. 1713 Petiver in Phil. Trans. XXVIII. 207 Double flowered or Damask Gith. 1822 Hortus Anglicus II. 37 Small Fennel Flower, Herb Gith. 1869 Blackmore Lorna D. xxii, If thou would keep thy Son, See that bine and gith have none. |
b. Applied to the Corn-cockle,
Lychnis Githago.
| 1597 Gerarde Herbal ii. ccccxxviii. 927 Cockle..is called Gith..yet not properly. 1866 Treas. Bot., Gith, the Corn Cockle, Agrostemma Githago. |