*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of avens

From Middle English avence, from Anglo-Norman avance, Old French avence, from Medieval Latin avencia (“a kind of clover”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A plant of the genus Geum, especially Geum urbanum, or herb bennet. · A plant of the genus Dryas.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English avence, from Anglo-Norman avance, Old French avence, from Medieval Latin avencia (“a kind of clover”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "avence"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English avence"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "avance"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman avance"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "avence"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French avence"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-med",
        "3": "avencia",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a kind of clover"
      },
      "expansion": "Medieval Latin avencia (“a kind of clover”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "avence",
      "avence#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "avance",
      "avance#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "avence",
      "avence#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "avencia",
      "avencia#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "clover",
      "clover"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A plant of the genus Geum, especially Geum urbanum, or herb bennet.",
        "A plant of the genus Dryas."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "232589e36a4eb21f6643d2546542757ce166940c76aec73c8a3273f35e61bfb2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d77f8b2856e9c5c8873cfed2047d7e618584607aad9540f2dfce928e9645ac03",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 204125
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for avens →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YXZlbnM