Baldrian.

From Middle High German baldriān (also: waldriān), from Old High German baldriān. Compare Middle Low German boldriān. Seemingly together with Hungarian bojtorján (“burdock”) (√ *boltorján) loaned in the Dark Age period from the late 6ᵗʰ to early 8ᵗʰ century from Turkic or Proto-Mongolic, the Pannonian Avars being direct neighbours to the Germans, cognate to Turkish بالدران / baldıran (“hemlock”) which see for more Turkic cognates. Ultimately from Proto-Mongolic, reflected as Middle Mongol ᠪᠠᠯᠴᠢᠷᠭᠠᠨ᠎ᠠ (balčirɣan-a, “false hellebore; angelica”), composed as ᠪᠠᠯᠴᠢᠷ (balčir, “infant; young, tender, fresh, rank”) + plant name suffix ᠭᠠᠨᠠ (-ɣana), Mongolian балчиргана (balčirgana, “false hellebore; angelica”), composed as балчир (balčir, “infant; young, tender, fresh, rank”) + plant name suffix -гана (-gana). Old High German had as another term for the valerian denemarka, denmarka, denemark, denimarka, in Middle High German denemarka, denemarcha, only retained in Alemannic German dialects, as tannenmark, tammarken etc. The Medieval Latin valeriāna (“valerian”), from which the most widespread European names for the valerian derive, is most likely from German / Frankish, distorted after the verb valeō (“to be powerful”) or also the gentilic name Valerius – early enough to be calqued into Proto-Slavic *odolěnъ (“valerian”). [[File:Valeriana_officinalis_001.JPG|thumb|right||upright=1.15]]