RUE (Fr. rue,

See also:

• LAT

Lat. ruta, from Gr. pur)  , the Peloponnesian word for the plant known as ailryavov), the name of a woody or bushy herb, belonging to the genus Ruta, especially Ruta graveolens, the " common rue," a plant with bluish green spotted leaves and greenish yellow flowers . It has a strong pungent smell and the leaves have a bitter taste . The plant was much used in medieval and later medicine as a stimulative and irritant drug . It was commonly supposed to be much used by witches . From its association with " rue," sorrow, repentance (0 . Eng. hreow, from hreowan, to be sorryfor, cf . Ger. reuen), the plant was also known as " herb of grace," and was taken as the symbol of repentance .