Date
Meaning & History
From the name of the herb ("a small, fleshy-leaved plant that grows in damp habitats or waste places, in particular Portulaca oleracea, a prostrate North American plant with tiny yellow flowers"), the origin of which is uncertain. (William Turner in the 16th century called it purcelaine, and in the 'Grete Herball' (1516) it was procelayne; perhaps it comes from a diminutive of Latin porcus "pig" (compare PORCIUS).) It was used as a name in the film 'A Love Song for Bobby Long' (2004).