1. A plant of the genus Valeriana, especially V. officinalis, native to Eurasia and widely cultivated for its small, fragrant, white to pink or lavender flowers and for use in medicine.
2. The dried rhizomes of this plant, used medicinally as a sedative.

[Middle English, from Old French valeriane, from Medieval Latin valeriāna, probably from feminine of Latin Valeriānus, of Valeria, Roman province where the plant originated.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.