What does feverfew mean?
Feverfew is a bushy perennial herb of the daisy family, bearing small white flowers with yellow centres and finely divided, aromatic leaves. Native to the Balkans but now naturalised widely across Europe and North America, it has been grown in gardens for centuries both as an ornamental plant and as a staple of traditional herbal medicine. Its common name descends from the Latin febrifugia, meaning 'fever-fugitive' or fever-chaser, reflecting its early reputation for reducing fevers. In modern usage, feverfew is best known as a herbal remedy taken for the prevention of migraine headaches, most often in the form of dried leaves, capsules, or tinctures, though scientific evidence for its effectiveness has been mixed. The word appears chiefly in botany, gardening, and complementary-medicine writing, usually paired with terms such as extract, leaves, or supplement. For anyone interested in the history of herbal medicine, feverfew offers a vivid example of a plant whose folk reputation has carried into contemporary research.
nounA perennial herb (Tanacetum parthenium) of the daisy family, with white daisy-like flowers and aromatic leaves, long used in herbal medicine, particularly as a traditional remedy for headaches, migraines, and fever.
- A medicinal herb (Tanacetum parthenium) used traditionally to treat fever, headaches, and migraines.
"She brewed a tea from dried feverfew leaves in the hope of easing her migraines."
"The garden's border was brightened by clusters of feverfew in full bloom."
"Modern trials have examined whether feverfew can reduce the frequency of migraine attacks."
As a countable noun referring to individual plants, the regular plural applies. When speaking of the herb as a substance or remedy, it is typically treated as uncountable.
"The nursery sells several feverfews, each with slightly different flower forms."
Its name literally means 'fever-chaser' — from the Latin febrifugia, because medieval herbalists believed the plant could put illness to flight.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of feverfew
The word feverfew comes ultimately from the Latin febrifugia, formed from febris ('fever') and fugare ('to put to flight'), a name that captures the plant's early medicinal reputation. The term passed into Old English as feferfuge and developed through Middle English into the modern form feverfew, with the spelling reshaped by association with the words 'fever' and 'few'. The same Latin root febris also gives English 'febrile', relating to fever.
How feverfew is actually used
Feverfew is used mainly in botanical, gardening, and alternative-medicine contexts rather than everyday conversation. In scientific writing it appears alongside its binomial name, Tanacetum parthenium (formerly classified as Chrysanthemum parthenium). Claims about its medicinal effectiveness vary, so careful writers attribute them rather than assert them.