nards

noun

1. an aromatic Himalayan plant, believed to be the spikenard, Nardostachys jatamansi, the source of an ointment used by the ancients.
2. the ointment.

noun

1. another name for spikenard (def. 1), spikenard (def. 2)
2. any of several plants, such as certain valerians, whose aromatic roots were formerly used in medicine

n.late 14c., from Old French narde (Modern French nard), from Latin nardus, from Greek nardos, of Eastern origin (cf. Hebrew ner’d, plural n’radim; Arabic and Persian nardin, Sanskrit narada, nalada, name of an aromatic balsam).