† horsehealhorseheeln.

Etymology: Old English horselene , horshelene , < hors horse n. + elene, helene, the latter of which appears by itself as a name of the same plant, also in form eolone , representing medieval Latin elena , helena , given, along with ynula , enula , enela , elna , elenia , ellenium , as names of this plant in Alphita and other medieval Latin lists. Some of these go back immediately to ancient Latin inula , whence others are formed by metathesis, and by influence of another Latin name helenium = Greek ἑλένιον . The prefix hors- probably meant ‘wild’ or ‘coarse’, as in other plant-names in horse- . The later phonetic history of the word is somewhat parallel to that of ell n.¹; but there was probably association with hele , heal n.