† pulegen.

Etymology: < classical Latin pūlēium, of unknown origin (in post-classical Latin also pulegium (6th cent.), poleium (a636 in Isidore)); perhaps subsequently reinforced by Middle French pulege (1549; French †pulège; < classical Latin, perhaps partly via Old Occitan (see below); compare earlier Old French polii (2nd half of 13th cent.)). Compare Old Occitan polieg , pulieg , pulegi (14th cent.), Spanish poleo (1396), Portuguese poejo (15th cent. as poeio ), Italian puleggio (a1347 as poleggio ), Middle Dutch poleye , poley , polleye , pulleye (Dutch polei ), Old Saxon polleia (Middle Low German polleye , pollēge , pulleye , (rare) pulēge ), Old High German poleia (Middle High German poleie , puleie , German Polei ), Old Swedish polleia (Swedish poleja ), Old Danish polleyæ (Danish polej ). Compare also post-classical Latin pollegia (from 11th cent. in British sources), perhaps a reborrowing of Old English pollegie . Compare puliol n., pulegium n.Post-classical Latin pulegium was adopted in scientific Latin as a specific epithet in Mentha pulegium ( Linnaeus Species Plantarum (1753) ii. 577). Compare the following apparently isolated attestation of early modern English poley in same sense ( < early modern German polei, also boley; ultimately < Latin):1527 L. Andrewe tr. H. Brunschwig Vertuose Boke Distyllacyon sig. Civ Water of poley [Ger. Boley wasser]. Pulegium in latyn. The best tyme of hys dystylacyon is all the herbe chopped whan it bereth floures, and so dystylled.