dittany
Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- noun An aromatic woolly plant (Origanum dictamnus) native to Crete, formerly believed to have magical powers.
Examples
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Wild goats in Crete are said, when wounded by arrows, to go in search of dittany, which is supposed to have the property of ejecting arrows in the body.
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They have their own medical lore: the goats of Candia cure their wounds by eating dittany, the tortoise purges itself by taking origanum.
Note
The word 'dittany' may come from the name of Mount Diktē in Crete, where it was supposed to grow.
