tarragon
Meaning
a plant with narrow green leaves that are used as a herb to flavour food
Usage
the chicken dish was subtly flavoured with fresh tarragon.
tarragon vinegar is a key ingredient in many french sauces.
she grows a small pot of tarragon on her kitchen windowsill.
Etymology
the word 'tarragon' entered english in the 16th century from a medieval latin form 'tragonia'. this, in turn, was derived from the arabic 'ṭarkhūn', which was borrowed from the greek 'drakontion', meaning 'dragon'. the greek term was a reference to 'dragonwort', a name for the plant, likely due to the serpentine shape of its roots or its perceived medicinal properties against venom. the journey from the greek concept of a 'dragon' herb to the modern culinary term illustrates a classic path of a botanical name passing through multiple languages, with its form gradually adapting to its new linguistic homes.
Analysis
this is a simplex word. it is a loanword whose spelling and form do not allow for segmentation into meaningful english substrings based on its current spelling.