The name ορίγανον, in modern Greek ριγανι, was applied in ancient times to plants of this genus, but O. marjorana was distinguished by the names σαμψυχον and αμαρακος. A Greek myth informs us that Amaracus was a page to the king of Cyprus, who one day on letting fall a vessel of perfume became so frightened that he was turned into this plant. The Greeks and Romans decorated the newly married with it. Catullus says:—
Cinge tempora floribus / Suaveolentis Amaraci.
It is the Marjolaine of the French. De Gubernatis states that in Southern Europe it is the symbol of honour and the protector of married women. It is the Maruva and Jambhira of the Raja Nirghanta and the Marwa or Marzangush of the Persians. Ibn Sina calls it Marzanjush. The Persian word signifies “mouse-ear,” a name given to it on account of the greyish downy character of the leaves, which is more marked in the Persian variety than in the European plant. Marjoram is cultivated as a pot-plant in most Indian gardens, and is used as a substitute for thyme in cookery. At Bandora, near Bombay, it is grown as a garden crop to supply bouquets for the Bombay market, which are much worn by women in their hair. The medicinal uses of Marjoram in the East are similar to those of mint.