agnus castus

English
An agnus castus tree
Vitex agnus-castus

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἄγνος (ágnos), confused with ἁγνός (hagnós, “chaste”); + by reinforcement Latin castus (“chaste”).

Noun

agnus castus (plural agnus castuses)

  1. A tree, Vitex agnus-castus, formerly believed to preserve chastity.
    • 1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy, Oxford: Printed by Iohn Lichfield and Iames Short, for Henry Cripps, OCLC 216894069; The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd corrected and augmented edition, Oxford: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, 1624, OCLC 54573970, (please specify |partition=1, 2, or 3):
      , II.4.1.iii, 1813, Volume 2, page 94:
      […] some herbs provoke lust; some again, as agnus castus, waterlilly, quite extinguish seed  […] .

Synonyms

Translations
chaste tree — see chaste tree

Further reading
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