different between vetiver vs valerian

English

Alternative forms

• vetyver, vetivert (the essential oil)

Etymology

From French vétyver (older spelling) or vétiver, from Tamil ?????????? (ve??iv?r).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?v?t?v?/

Noun

vetiver (countable and uncountable, plural vetivers)

1. The grass Chrysopogon zizanioides ( <= Vetiveria zizanioides), which is native to India, but planted throughout the tropics for its fragrant roots and for erosion control.
   • 2003, Anand Akhila, Mumkum Rani, 4: Chemical Conatituents and Essential Oil Biogenisis in Vetiveria zizanioides, Massimo Maffei (editor), Vetiveria: The Genus Vetiveria, page 73,

     Two types of vetiver have been found in India – (i) flowering or seeding vetiver which grows wild in North India, and (ii) non-flowering or non-seeding vetiver which is cultivated in South India.

   • 2007, R. Sinha, et al., Phytoremediation: Role of Plants in Site Management, S.N. Singh, R. D. Tripathi, Environmental Bioremediation Technologies, page 328,

     Vetiver can easily thrive in wetlands and can be used in the constructed wetlands for removal of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) and heavy metals from the polluted storm water, municipal and industrial wastewater, and effluents from abattoirs, feedlots, piggeries and other intensive livestock industries.

   • 2008, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, Principles of Soil Conservation and Management, page 237,

     Vetiver barriers are planted in 0.50–1m wide strips to minimize the land area under the barrier. Vetiver grass is the only species that is effective for controlling soil erosion on steep terrains (30 and 60% slope). Vetiver strips are also used as windbreaks.

2. The aromatic root of the grass.
3. An essential oil derived from the root; the fragrance of the oil.
   • 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage 2007, p. 612,

     She pressed his hand and was gone in a mist of vetiver, abruptly as the other evening.

   • 2007, Parvesh Handa, Be Your Own Beautician, page 132,

     A sweet scent which relieves stress, tension and headache, promotes restful sleep, heals the skin, lowers high blood pressure and cures sunburn (when blended with cedarwood, clove, clary sage, pine, geranium, vetiver and patchouli).

   • 2010, Luca Turin, Tania Sanchez, Perfumes: The A-Z Guide, page 311,

     […] it came in a joyful fuzz of hair spray and noise, with a delicious, dissonant Habanita-like base of patchouli-vetiver-vanilla putting a growl in its voice.

Synonyms

• cuscus

Derived terms

• vetivene
• vetiverol
• vetivone

Translations

Italian

Noun

vetiver m (invariable)

1. vetiver

Anagrams

• vertevi, vivrete

English

Etymology

From Old French valeriane or Medieval Latin valeri?na, a reinterpretation of what is found as German Baldrian after val?re (“to be powerful”) or also the gentilic name Valerius, which is seemingly borrowed in the Dark Age period from the late 6^th to early 8^th century from Turkic or Proto-Mongolic, when the Pannonian Avars were direct neighbours to the Germans, notably also present in Hungarian bojtorján (“burdock”), ultimately from Proto-Mongolic, reflected as
Middle Mongolian ??????????? (bal?ir?an-a, “false hellebore; angelica”), composed as ?????? (bal?ir, “infant; young, tender, fresh, rank”) + plant name suffix ????? (-?ana),
Mongolian ?????????? (balchirgana, “false hellebore; angelica”), composed as ?????? (balchir, “infant; young, tender, fresh, rank”) + plant name suffix -???? (-gana).

See Ottoman Turkish ???????? (bald?ran, “hemlock”) for Turkic cognates.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /v??l?????n/
• Homophone: Valyrian

Noun

valerian (countable and uncountable, plural valerians)

1. A hardy perennial flowering plant, Valeriana officinalis, with heads of sweetly scented pink or white flowers.
2. More generally, any plant of the genus Valeriana.
3. (uncountable) The root of Valeriana officinalis, used in herbal medicine.
4. An extract of the dried roots of the Valeriana officinalis used in herbal medicine as a sedative.

Synonyms

• (Valeriana officinalis): allheal, cat thyme

Translations

Anagrams

• Ravelian