Plural of centaury; small flowering plants traditionally used in herbal medicine, especially for digestive complaints.
From Old English centaury, from Latin centaurium, named after the centaur Chiron in Greek mythology who allegedly used the plant for healing. The plant became synonymous with medicinal practice in medieval times.
Centauries were in every medieval apothecary's collection—herbalists recommended them for stomach aches, and interestingly, modern research has confirmed that centaury plants do contain compounds with genuine digestive-soothing properties!
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