Standard Lemma guide

betony

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈbɛtəni/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any plant of the genus Stachys.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any plant of the genus Stachys.

Stachys officinalis (syn. Betonica officinalis, an herb used in traditional European medicine.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Any plant of the genus Pedicularis (louseworts).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English betayny, betanie, from Medieval Latin betōnia (possibly through Old French), from Latin betōnica or ve(t)tōnica, from Vettones, a people in Lusitania. Compare French bétoine.

Across languages

Translations

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: قَسْطَرَان (qasṭarān) — Stachys officinalis
  • Belarusian: бу́квіца (búkvica) — Stachys officinalis
  • Bulgarian: ранилист (ranilist) — Stachys officinalis
  • Catalan: betònica — Stachys officinalis
  • Chinese Mandarin: 藥水蘇 /药水苏 (yàoshuǐsū) — Stachys officinalis
  • Czech: bukvice — Stachys officinalis
  • Czech: bukvice lékařská — Stachys officinalis
  • Danish: lægebetonie — Stachys officinalis
  • Danish: læge-betonie — Stachys officinalis
  • Danish: lægegaltetand — Stachys officinalis
  • Dutch: betonie — Stachys officinalis
  • Estonian: harilik tõnnike — Stachys officinalis
  • Finnish: rohtopähkämö — Stachys officinalis
  • French: bétoine — Stachys officinalis
  • French: épiaire — Stachys officinalis
  • German: Betonie — Stachys officinalis
  • German: Heilziest — Stachys officinalis
  • German: Gliedkraut — Stachys officinalis
  • German: Ziest — Stachys officinalis
  • German: Ziestkraut — Stachys officinalis
  • Hungarian: tisztesfû — Stachys officinalis
  • Hungarian: orvosi tisztesfû — Stachys officinalis
  • Italian: betonica — Stachys officinalis
  • Kazakh: жөтелшай (jötelşai) — Stachys officinalis
  • Latin: serrātula — Stachys officinalis
  • Persian: بطونیکا (betunikâ) — Stachys officinalis
  • Polish: bukwica — Stachys officinalis
  • Polish: bukwica zwyczajna — Stachys officinalis
  • Romanian: vindecea — Stachys officinalis
  • Romanian: betonică — Stachys officinalis
  • Russian: бу́квица (búkvica) — Stachys officinalis
  • Serbo-Croatian: bȕkvica — Stachys officinalis
  • Slovak: bukvica — Stachys officinalis
  • Slovak: bukvica lekárska — Stachys officinalis
  • Slovene: bȗkvica — Stachys officinalis
  • Lower Sorbian: bukwica — Stachys officinalis
  • Upper Sorbian: bukwica — Stachys officinalis
  • Spanish: betónica — Stachys officinalis
  • Swedish: läkebetonika — Stachys officinalis
  • Swedish: humlesuga — Stachys officinalis
  • Turkish: kestere — Stachys officinalis
  • Turkish: küstere — Stachys officinalis
  • Ottoman Turkish: كستره (kestere, küstere) — Stachys officinalis
  • Ukrainian: бу́квиця (búkvycja) — Stachys officinalis
  • Welsh: cribau San Ffraid — Stachys officinalis
  • Welsh: danhogen y coed — Stachys officinalis