Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • Emperor of Rome (253–260) who, as coruler with his son Gallienus (c. 218–268), confronted invasions by the Goths and Persians. He was captured and killed by Persian forces (260).

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun the Roman emperor, Publius Licinius Valerianus

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Valerian.

Examples

  • The recommended dose of the Valerian is 1-3 pills; I definitely have an easier time falling asleep with them - even if I've got busy brain, if I can empty my mind somewhat, the images that then percolate through my head feel much more like pre-sleep images than "hey you need to do this right now" thoughts.

    Body Balance da_lj 2008

  • Valerian is a small white flower in good-sized clusters on long stems, seen now-a-days only in old-fashioned gardens.

    A Woman's Hardy Garden 1903

  • 42 The approaching event of war soon put an end to the prosecution of a project so specious, but so impracticable; and whilst it preserved Valerian from the danger, saved the emperor Decius from the disappointment, which would most probably have attended it.

    The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 1206

  • We have also the small Marsh Valerian, which is wild, and the cultivated Red Valerian, of our cottage gardens.

    Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure William Thomas Fernie

  • One of the most favored and celebrated families in the history of Rome for a thousand years was that called Valerian, and at the time to which our thoughts are now directed, one of the members comes into prominence as the most illustrious general of the era.

    The Story of Rome from the Earliest Times to the End of the Republic Arthur Gilman

  • She was a pious Christian from early in her childhood, but then as a young woman was given in marriage to a noble pagan, Valerianus (also called Valerian).

    Musings From a Catholic Bookstore 2008

  • The Greeks employed one kind of Valerian named _Phu_ for hanging on doors and windows as a protective charm.

    Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure William Thomas Fernie

  • Priestley, but his best achievements were "Valerian," a narrative poem, and "The Death of Washington" (1800).

    The Philadelphia Magazines and their Contributors 1741-1850 Albert Henry Smyth 1885

  • On the website for another product, Kush Cakes, which does not appear to have been cited by the FDA, the manufacturers boast that they are "baked with love and our proprietary blend of all natural ingredients, featuring Melatonin and Valerian root" as active ingredients.

    FDA says sleepy brownies are unsafe 2011

  • Arcturus Mengsk reaches out to his son, Valerian, who had grown up in the relative absence of his father.

    Starcraft II: Devils’ Due Christie Golden 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.