verbena

See also: Verbena and verbéna

English

A verbena, Verbena rigida

Etymology

Borrowed from translingual Verbena, from Latin verbēna (“leaves or twigs of olive, myrtle, laurel, or other sacred plants employed in religious ceremonies”), from Proto-Indo-European *werbʰ-. Doublet of vervain, via French.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /vɚˈbinə/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /vɜːˈbiːnə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːnə

Noun

verbena (countable and uncountable, plural verbenas)

2. Verbena, a genus of herbaceous plants of which several species are extensively cultivated for the great beauty of their flowers; vervain.
   • 1918, Katherine Mansfield, Prelude (Selected Stories, Oxford World's Classics paperback 2002, 116)

     Linda pulled a piece of verbena and crumpled it, and held her hands to her mother. -

   • 1988, Elizabeth Spencer, “The Legacy”, in On the Gulf (Author and Artist Series), Jackson, Miss.; London: University Press of Mississippi, published 1991, →ISBN, page 49:

     Hidden behind a large stone urn full of verbena, Dottie watched as her enemy greeted Johnny at the door.

Derived terms

• false verbena
• lemon verbena
• Mojave sand-verbena
• roadside verbena
• sand verbena
• sweet verbena
• verbenalike
• verbenalin
• verbenalol
• verbenone

Translations

a genus of herbaceous plants

• Aromanian: yirghinã f
• Asturian: verbena f
• Bulgarian: върбинка f (vărbinka)
• Catalan: berbena (ca) f
• Czech: sporýš m, verbena (cs) f
• Dutch: ijzerhard (nl) m, ijzerkruid n
• Esperanto: verbeno
• Finnish: verbena (fi), rautayrtti (fi)
• French: verveine (fr) f
• Friulian: vermene f
• Galician: verxebán m, orxaván m
• German: Eisenkraut (de) n, Verbene (de) f
• Greek: λουίζα (el) f (louíza)
• Hungarian: verbéna (hu), vasfű (hu)
• Italian: verbena (it) f
• Japanese: バーベナ
• Latin: lustrago f, verbenaca f
• Norman: vèrveine f
• Occitan: verbena f
• Polish: werbena (pl) f
• Portuguese: verbena (pt) f
• Romanian: verbină (ro) f
• Russian: вербе́на (ru) f (verbéna)
• Sicilian: virvina (scn) f, berbena f, birbina (scn) f
• Spanish: verbena (es) f
• Turkish: mine çiçeğigiller (tr)

See also

• verbena on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• verbena on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Category:verbena on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Catalan

Noun

verbena f (plural verbenes)

1. alternative form of berbena

Further reading

• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “verbena”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin verbēna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋerbenɑ/, [ˈʋe̞rbe̞nɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -erbenɑ
• Syllabification^(key): ver‧be‧na
• Hyphenation^(key): ver‧be‧na

Noun

verbena

1. verbena, beebrush (plant of genus Verbena)
2. (in the plural) the genus Verbena

Declension

Inflection of verbena (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)
nominative		verbena	verbenat
genitive		verbenan	verbenoiden verbenoitten
partitive		verbenaa	verbenoita
illative		verbenaan	verbenoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		verbena	verbenat
accusative	nom.	verbena	verbenat
	gen.	verbenan
genitive		verbenan	verbenoiden verbenoitten verbenain rare
partitive		verbenaa	verbenoita
inessive		verbenassa	verbenoissa
elative		verbenasta	verbenoista
illative		verbenaan	verbenoihin
adessive		verbenalla	verbenoilla
ablative		verbenalta	verbenoilta
allative		verbenalle	verbenoille
essive		verbenana	verbenoina
translative		verbenaksi	verbenoiksi
abessive		verbenatta	verbenoitta
instructive		—	verbenoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of verbena (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative verbenani verbenani accusative nom. verbenani verbenani gen. verbenani genitive verbenani verbenoideni verbenoitteni verbenaini rare partitive verbenaani verbenoitani inessive verbenassani verbenoissani elative verbenastani verbenoistani illative verbenaani verbenoihini adessive verbenallani verbenoillani ablative verbenaltani verbenoiltani allative verbenalleni verbenoilleni essive verbenanani verbenoinani translative verbenakseni verbenoikseni abessive verbenattani verbenoittani instructive — — comitative — verbenoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative verbenasi verbenasi accusative nom. verbenasi verbenasi gen. verbenasi genitive verbenasi verbenoidesi verbenoittesi verbenaisi rare partitive verbenaasi verbenoitasi inessive verbenassasi verbenoissasi elative verbenastasi verbenoistasi illative verbenaasi verbenoihisi adessive verbenallasi verbenoillasi ablative verbenaltasi verbenoiltasi allative verbenallesi verbenoillesi essive verbenanasi verbenoinasi translative verbenaksesi verbenoiksesi abessive verbenattasi verbenoittasi instructive — — comitative — verbenoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative verbenamme verbenamme accusative nom. verbenamme verbenamme gen. verbenamme genitive verbenamme verbenoidemme verbenoittemme verbenaimme rare partitive verbenaamme verbenoitamme inessive verbenassamme verbenoissamme elative verbenastamme verbenoistamme illative verbenaamme verbenoihimme adessive verbenallamme verbenoillamme ablative verbenaltamme verbenoiltamme allative verbenallemme verbenoillemme essive verbenanamme verbenoinamme translative verbenaksemme verbenoiksemme abessive verbenattamme verbenoittamme instructive — — comitative — verbenoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative verbenanne verbenanne accusative nom. verbenanne verbenanne gen. verbenanne genitive verbenanne verbenoidenne verbenoittenne verbenainne rare partitive verbenaanne verbenoitanne inessive verbenassanne verbenoissanne elative verbenastanne verbenoistanne illative verbenaanne verbenoihinne adessive verbenallanne verbenoillanne ablative verbenaltanne verbenoiltanne allative verbenallenne verbenoillenne essive verbenananne verbenoinanne translative verbenaksenne verbenoiksenne abessive verbenattanne verbenoittanne instructive — — comitative — verbenoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative verbenansa verbenansa accusative nom. verbenansa verbenansa gen. verbenansa genitive verbenansa verbenoidensa verbenoittensa verbenainsa rare partitive verbenaansa verbenoitaan verbenoitansa inessive verbenassaan verbenassansa verbenoissaan verbenoissansa elative verbenastaan verbenastansa verbenoistaan verbenoistansa illative verbenaansa verbenoihinsa adessive verbenallaan verbenallansa verbenoillaan verbenoillansa ablative verbenaltaan verbenaltansa verbenoiltaan verbenoiltansa allative verbenalleen verbenallensa verbenoilleen verbenoillensa essive verbenanaan verbenanansa verbenoinaan verbenoinansa translative verbenakseen verbenaksensa verbenoikseen verbenoiksensa abessive verbenattaan verbenattansa verbenoittaan verbenoittansa instructive — — comitative — verbenoineen verbenoinensa

Synonyms

• (plant and genus): rautayrtti

Derived terms

compounds

• sitruunaverbena

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin verbēna. Compare the doublet vermena.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /verˈbɛ.na/
• Rhymes: -ɛna
• Hyphenation: ver‧bè‧na

Noun

verbena f (plural verbene)

1. verbena, vervain

Derived terms

• Verbenacee

Latin

Etymology

By surface analysis, verber +‎ -na. From earlier *werbez-na-, itself formed from the addition of -nus to the s-stem *wer(β/b)-os ~ *wer(β/b)-es- (whence also verber). It is perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *werb^(h)-, whence also perhaps Lithuanian virbas (“twig, branch, scion, rod”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [wɛrˈbeː.na]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [verˈbɛː.na]

Noun

verbēna f (genitive verbēnae); first declension

1. foliage, especially that of olive, myrtle etc having religious and medicinal uses

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	verbēna	verbēnae
genitive	verbēnae	verbēnārum
dative	verbēnae	verbēnīs
accusative	verbēnam	verbēnās
ablative	verbēnā	verbēnīs
vocative	verbēna	verbēnae

Derived terms

• verbēnaca

• Italo-Romance:

• Italian: verminaca
• Sicilian: virvinaca

• Gallo-Italic:

• Lorrain: verbenay (Moselle)

• Gallo-Romance:

• Emilian: barbenäga (Bologna)

Related terms

• verber
• verberō

Descendants

• Balkano-Romance:
  • Aromanian: yirghinã
  • Romanian: verbină
• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: vermena
  • Sicilian: virvina, berbina
• Rhaeto-Romance:
  • Friulian: vermene
• Gallo-Romance:
  • ⇒ Old French: vervainne, vervene
    • French: verveine
      • → Romanian: vervenă
    • → Middle English: verveyne
      • English: vervain
• Borrowings:
  • → Asturian: verbena
  • → Catalan: berbena
  • → English: verbena
  • → Italian: verbena
  • → Occitan: verbena
  • → Portuguese: verbena
  • → Spanish: verbena

References

• “verbena”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “verbena”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “verbena”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “verbena”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “verbena”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin verbēna

Old Galician-Portuguese

Portuguese verbena

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese, from Latin verbēna.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /veʁˈbẽ.nɐ/ [veɦˈbẽ.nɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /veʁˈbẽ.nɐ/ [veɦˈbẽ.nɐ]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /veɾˈbẽ.nɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /veʁˈbẽ.nɐ/
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /veɻˈbẽ.nɐ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /vɨɾˈbe.nɐ/ [vɨɾˈβe.nɐ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /vɨɾˈbe.nɐ/ [vɨɾˈβe.nɐ]
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /bɨɾˈbe.nɐ/ [bɨɾˈβe.nɐ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /vɨɾˈbe.nɐ/

• Rhymes: -ẽnɐ, -enɐ
• Hyphenation: ver‧be‧na

Noun

verbena f (plural verbenas)

1. (botany) common name, extended to plants of the genus Verbena, of the Verbenaceae family, mostly from the Americas, which includes species cultivated as ornamentals
2. (botany) Verbena officinalis
   1. herbal tea prepared with this plant
3. party with night festival; kermesse

Further reading

• “verbena”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “verbena”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish berbena, possibly borrowed from Latin verbēna (see also Lithuanian virbas (“twig, branch, scion, rod”)). Cognate with Middle Dutch warp, Middle Low German warp, German Warf, Danish varp, Swedish varp.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beɾˈbena/ [beɾˈβ̞e.na]
• Rhymes: -ena
• Syllabification: ver‧be‧na

Noun

verbena f (plural verbenas)

1. verbena (Verbena, a genus of herbaceous plants of which several species are extensively cultivated for the great beauty of their flowers; vervain)
2. a night-time fair or party

Derived terms

• verbena de Indias
• verbenero

Further reading

• “verbena”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025