n.
Pronunciation: ' v ə r- ˌ v ā n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English verveine, from Anglo-French, from Latin verbena leafy branch; akin to Latin verber rod, Lithuanian virbas, and perhaps to Greek rhabdos rod
Date: 14th century
: any of a genus ( Verbena of the family Verbenaceae, the vervain family) of chiefly American plants having bracted spicate flowers, a corolla with a 5-lobed limb, and a fruit that separates into four nutlets