Today’s word is not about our grandparents or showing adequate respect to people older than us. It is about the highly useful but often overlooked shrub. Common from Scotland to Sicily and from the Bay of Biscay to Baku, for many who encounter this small tree, it is seen as little more than a hedge or scrub in the forest; but, for those who know how to unlock its secrets and properly utilise them, the elder can really be beneficial.
Though the actual origin of the name is unknown, we do know that our word elder comes from the Old English word ellaern and is related to the Middle Low German elderne, both of which were initially used to define the Elderberry tree.
Indicating its importance, the earliest known usage of the word can be found in the Épinal-Erfurt Glossary which dates to around 700AD and is thought to have been compiled in Malmesbury for the local Abbot, Aldhelm: “Sambucus, ellaen.”
As you may notice, there is a distinct difference in the spelling and pronunciation of the original word compared to our modern word – notably, the -d- sound. Our word first appeared with the “d” in a 1440 English-to-Latin dictionary called the Promptorium parvulorum and thought to be offered by Geoffrey the Grammarian: “Eldyr or hyldyr, or hillerne tre [v.r. hillar; hyltre, or elerne; elder, or hyltre, or elorne].” As for what caused the change, that is still up for speculations.
Beyond spelling and origin, much of which is still a mystery, we do know about the shrub’s uses, and it has a lot. Though much of the plant itself (the green parts, unripe berries, and the ripe seeds) is poisonous, the berries avail themselves to cooking, such as the German Fliederbeersuppe, in fruit preserves like elderberry jam, and in the making of wines, brandies, and snaps. With the first English author to mention elder wine – the Anglo-Irish philosopher’s George Berkeley, known as Bishop Berkeley – in his 1735 Querist: “Men of nice palates have been imposed on, by elder wine for French claret. “
Moreover, the flowers can be used as an infusion to make a syrup to be used in beverages from Fanta to St. Germain in order to impart a floral and fragrant, yet refreshing, taste.
And even the poisonous part can, through use of their extracts and when combined with the fruit and flowers, be useful: herbalists and those practising traditional medicine in Austria have long used the plant to treat fever, infection, and respiratory problems, such as coughing, bronchitis, and upper respiratory infections.
