AN ATTEMPT TO DATE
HEMP
G.D.O'BRADOVICH III
APRIL 20, 2016
Background
As a Great Occultist, Yours Truly often has experienced the good fortune of being in “right place at the right time” or as Jung would believe, our lives experience sublime moments of synchronicity. As a general behavior, I do not strain to hear conversations in public settings. However, “birthday weed” is so jarring to a philologist's ear [even from a distance], that I interrupted my always important work to query the youth. For reasons that are not entirely clear to Yours Truly, their enthusiasm with the idea of “birthday weed” seemed to constantly subside each time I repeated “birthday weed”.
As I don't recall ever hearing “birthday weed” before today, this ignorance on the topic of “birthday weed” may be an indication to the Gentle Reader of the level of devotion that I receive from my many Apprentices. A brief survey of images from the internet confirms the existence of “birthday weed”; with or without cake.
Typically, the youths sit at the elevated tables, but today, for reasons not entirely not clear to Yours Truly, several of them migrated to a contiguous table after the conversation of “birthday weed”. I suspect that these eager youths were seeking the hidden Wisdom of the Ages. My suspicions are not a certainty. Not surprisingly, as based on the previous topic of “birthday weed”, there was a suggestion from potential Apprentice Denver (a Cancer Gemini) to check the OED for marijuana, which revealed a date of 1874. There must have been some underlying disapproval for that late date as the next suggestion was quickly offered: "Research hemp”.
The Gentle Reader may have some insight into the various methods, or madness, that Great Occultists utilize for choosing their research topics. In the immortal words of Dave Berry: “I'm not making this up.”
Research
The following information is courtesy of the Oxford English Dictionary. Citations after the year 1800 have been omitted.
Forms:
OE hænep, henep, ME– hemp, (ME–16 hempe, 15 hemppe).
Etymology:
Old English hęnep, hænep = Old Low German *hanap, *hanip,
Middle Dutch and Dutch hennep,
Low German hemp,
Old High German hanaf, -if, -uf (Middle High German hanef, German hanf),
Old Norse hampr (Swedish hampa, Danish hamp) < Old Germanic *hanpi-z, *hanapi-z, cognate with Greek κάνναβις,
Latin cannabis: compare also
Lithuanian kanapés,
Old Church Slavonic konoplja,
Persian kanab.
The word is perhaps not Aryan, but adopted in Greek, Germanic, etc. from some common source.
1. An annual herbaceous plant, Cannabis sativa, N.O. Urticaceæ, a native of Western and central Asia, cultivated for its valuable fibre.
It is a dioecious plant, of which the female is more vigorous and long-lived than the male, whence the sexes were popularly mistaken, and the female called carl hemp or winter hemp, the male fimble hemp (i.e. female), barren hemp, or summer hemp: see carl hemp n. and fimble n.1
(The quotations from the Saxon Leechdoms appear to refer to some wild British plant, perh. the wild hemp of 5.)
a1000 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 198/12
Cannabum, hænep.
a1000 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 198/15
Cannabin, hænep.
c1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 16
Herba chamepitys þæt is henep [v.r. hænep].
c1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 228
Ðeos wyrt þe man cannane silfatica, & oþrum naman henep nemneþ.
c1325 [implied in: c1325 Gloss. W. de Biblesw. in Wright Voc. 156
Canoys, hempseed. (at hempseed n. a)].
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 235/2
Hempe, canabum.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry §146
In Marche is tyme to sowe flaxe & hempe.
1551 W. Turner New Herball sig. Hjv,
Hempe..is profitable for many thynges..and specially to make stronge cables, and roopes of.
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball i. l. 72
Hempe is called in Greeke κάνναβις..in English Hempe, Neckeweede, and Gallow~grasse.
1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. xxix. 457
Hemp has a five-parted calyx in the flowers which bear stamens, but in the pistilliferous ones it is one-leafed, entire, and gaping on the side.
b.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry §146
Thy female hempe must be pulled from the churle hempe, for that beareth no sede..The churle hempe beareth sede..the hemp therof is not soo good as the female hempe.
1577 in J. Raine Wills & Inventories N. Counties Eng. (1835) I. 415
Tenn dosen femle hempe vijl.
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 572
The male is called Charle Hempe, and Winter Hempe. The female Barren Hempe, and Sommer Hempe.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. (at cited word),
The male Hemp, or summer Hemp, which bears no seeds, and is called by the farmers Fimble-hemp, will have its stalks turn white in July.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. (at cited word),
The remaining plants, which are the female Hemp, called by the farmer Karle-hemp, are to be left till Michaelmas.
2. The cortical fibre of this plant, used for making cordage, and woven into stout fabrics.
▸c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 782
Hemp to maken of gode lines And stronge ropes to his netes.
?a1366 Romaunt Rose 1233
A sukkenye, That not of hempe ne [? hempene] heerdis was.
1404 in W. H. Stevenson Rec. Borough Nottingham (1883) II. 22, xlv.
strykes de hempe, iiijd.
1550 R. Crowley One & Thyrtye Epigrammes sig. Div,
Newe halters of hemppe.
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 105
Long, deepe prams, sowed together with hempe and cord.
1663 S. Pepys Diary 18 Feb. (1971) IV. 49
Casting up..accounts of 500 Tons of hemp brought from Riga.
1722 W. Sewel Hist. Quakers (1795) vii. II. 10
Committed to Bridewell and required to beat hemp.
3. a. In allusion to a rope for hanging.
†stretchhemp: a person worthy of the gallows.
†to wag hemp: to be hanged.
1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in Wks. 715/1
To mocke the sacrament the blessed body of god, and ful like a stretch hempe, call it but cake bred.
1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in Wks. 715/1
Tindall..feareth not (like one yt would at length wagge hempe in the winde) to mocke at all such miracles.
a1616 Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iii. vi. 41
Let not Hempe his Wind-pipe suffocate.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 60
Of no small use to purge a Common-wealth, without the expence of Hemp.
b. (See quot. 1785) Cf. hempy n.
1785 F. Grose Classical Dict. Vulgar Tongue (at cited word),
Young hemp, an appellation for a graceless boy.
4. A narcotic drug obtained from the resinous exudation of the Indian hemp; bhang; hashish.
[No citations before the year 1800.]
5. With qualifying words, applied to numerous other plants yielding a useful fibre, or otherwise resembling hemp: as
African hemp n.
(a) = bowstring hemp n. at bow-string n. Compounds 2;
(b) Sparmannia africana (Miller Plant-names).
American false hemp n. Datisca hirta (Miller Plant-names).
bastard hemp n. name given to the British plants Hemp-nettle and Hemp Agrimony (Britten & Holland).
Bengal hemp n.,
Bombay hemp n.,
Madras hemp n. Crotalaria juncea (Miller).
bowstring hemp n.
(a) a plant of the genus Sanseviera, esp. S. guineensis, a liliaceous plant of tropical Africa, the leaf-fibres of which are used by the indigenous people for bowstrings and for making ropes;
(b) in India, S. Roxburghiana; also Calatropis gigantea (N.O. Asclepiadaceæ).
brown Indian hemp n. Hibiscus cannabinus (Miller).
Canada hemp n. (or Indian hemp) Apocynum cannabinum, a N. American perennial (J. Smith Dict. Econ. Pl.).
Cretan hemp n. Datisca cannabina (Miller).
holy hemp n. an old name for Galeopsis Ladanum (Miller).
Indian hemp n. a tropical variety of Common Hemp, Cannabis Indica.
jute hemp n. (or plant hemp) Corchoris capsularis ( Encycl. Brit.).
Kentucky hemp n. Urtica (Laportea) Canadensis and U. cannabina (Miller).
Manilla hemp n. the fibre of Musa textilis, of the Banana family.
mountain hemp n. Hyoscyamus insanus (Syd. Soc. Lex.).
nettle hemp n. = hemp-nettle n.
Peruvian hemp n.
Bonapartea juncea.
Queensland hemp n.
the tropical weed Sida rhombifolia (N.O. Malvaceæ), called also Paddy or Native Lucerne, and Jelly Leaf.
ramie hemp n.
Bœhmeria nivea.
sisal hemp n.
the fibre of species of Agave, esp. A. Sisalana.
Virginian hemp n.,
willow hemp Acnida cannabina, an amarantaceous marsh plant, native of eastern U.S.
water hemp n.
a name given to Eupatorium cannabinum and Bidens tripartita, in U.S. to Acnida cannabina.
wild hemp n.
Eupatorium cannabinum (Gerarde), and Galeopsis Tetrahit (Britten & Holland).
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 573
This wilde Hempe called Cannabis Spuria, and also Cannabina Spuria, or bastarde Hempe.
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 573
In English wilde hempe, Nettle hempe, bastard hempe.
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 574
The bastarde or wilde Hempes, especially those of the water, are called commonly Hepatorium Cannabinum..in English, water Hempe, bastard and water Agrimonie.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues
Chanure sauvage, Bastard Hempe, wild Hempe, Nettle Hempe.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. 72/2
The bastard Hemp is with several Burs, or hairy Knobs at a distance on the stalk.
1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3)
Bidens tripartita, Trifid Doubletooth, Water Hemp, Water Agrimony.
Compounds
C1. attrib. Of hemp; made of hemp, hempen.
a1400–50 Alexander 2224
Oure pepill..Halis vp hemp cordis.
1549 in Acts Privy Council (1890) II. 349/1
Hemp ropes, ml weight.
1599 Acct.-bk. W. Wray in Antiquary (1896) 32 243
A p[air] of hempe shetes.
1630 B. Jonson New Inne i. iii,
He may, perhaps, take a degree at Tiburne..And so goe forth a Laureat in hempe circle!
1663 S. Pepys Diary 24 Feb. (1971) IV. 57
Captain Cocke and I upon his Hempe accounts till 9 at night.
1668 F. Kirkman Eng. Rogue II. ii. ii. ii. 15
You have no remedy against an hemp halter I hope.
The above citations in chronological order with secondary sources in red.
1000a (1884) Cannabin, hænep.
1000a (1884) Cannabum, hænep.
1000c Herba chamepitys þæt is henep [v.r. hænep].
1000c Ðeos wyrt þe man cannane silfatica, & oþrum naman henep nemneþ.
1300▸c (1868) Hemp to maken of gode lines And stronge ropes to his netes.
1325c [implied in: c1325 Gloss. W. de Biblesw. in Wright Voc. 156 Canoys, hempseed. (at hempseed n. a)].
1366a? A sukkenye, That not of hempe ne [? hempene] heerdis was.
1400–50a Oure pepill..Halis vp hemp cordis.
1404 (1883) , xlv. strykes de hempe, iiijd.
1440c Hempe, canabum.
1523? In Marche is tyme to sowe flaxe & hempe.
1523? Thy female hempe ... churle hempe, ...The churle hempe ...the hemp therof ... female hempe.
1532 Tindall..feareth not (like one yt would at length wagge hempe in the winde) ...
1549 (1890) Hemp ropes, ml weight.
1550 Newe halters of hemppe.
1551 Hempe..is profitable for many thynges..and specially to make stronge cables, and roopes of.
1577 (1835) Tenn dosen femle hempe vijl.
1578 Hempe is called in Greeke κάνναβις..in English Hempe, Neckeweede...
1597 The male is called Charle Hempe, and Winter Hempe. The female Barren Hempe, and Sommer Hempe.
1597 In English wilde hempe, Nettle hempe, bastard hempe.
1597 This wilde Hempe called Cannabis Spuria, and also Cannabina Spuria, or bastarde Hempe.
1597 The bastarde or wilde Hempes...in English, water Hempe, bastard and water Agrimonie.
1599 (1896) A p[air] of hempe shetes.
1611 Chanure sauvage, Bastard Hempe, wild Hempe, Nettle Hempe.
1616 a (1623) Let not Hempe his Wind-pipe suffocate.
1630 He may, perhaps, take a degree at Tiburne..And so goe forth a Laureat in hempe circle!
1634 Long, deepe prams, sowed together with hempe and cord.
1654 Of no small use to purge a Common-wealth, without the expence of Hemp.
1663 (1971) Casting up..accounts of 500 Tons of hemp brought from Riga.
1663 (1971) Captain Cocke and I upon his Hempe accounts till 9 at night.
1668 You have no remedy against an hemp halter I hope.
1688 The bastard Hemp is with several Burs, or hairy Knobs at a distance on the stalk.
1722 (1795) Committed to Bridewell and required to beat hemp.
1753 The male Hemp, or summer Hemp,... Fimble-hemp, will have its stalks turn white ...
1753 The remaining plants, which are the female Hemp, called by the farmer Karle-hemp...
1785 Young hemp, an appellation for a graceless boy.
1785 Hemp has a five-parted calyx in the flowers which bear stamens...
1796 Bidens tripartita, Trifid Doubletooth, Water Hemp, Water Agrimony.
Conclusion
Since our brief involvement with marijuana indicated that it was initially recorded in 1874, we were surprised that hemp has a well documented and long history in the English language. Our usual practice is to omit numerous variations [section 5], however, we thought it would be edifying for the Gentle Reader to be aware of the many types of hemp found throughout the world. A perusal of the philological uses of the word “hemp” indicates that it has a well documented history as the main component in making rope. Hemp was so common for rope making that by the early sixteenth century, so common, in fact, that “to wag hemp” became a slang term for hanging. By the year 1785, “young hemp” was informal writing for a graceless boy. This is an example of the expressiveness of the English language; its speakers are continually creating new meanings for existing words.
Subsequently, as we were unable to find any reliable philological citations of “birthday weed”, we must conclude that we have misunderstood the context of the overheard conversion and, not surprisingly the Internet contributed to our misunderstanding. [“The internet beguiled me, and I was deceived.”]
The following are various definitions for “weed” with the multiple citations omitted.
1. An article of apparel; a garment.
2. a- collect. sing. Clothing, raiment, dress, apparel.
5. A garment, or garb, distinctive of a person's sex, profession, state of life.
It is now painfully obvious to Yours Truly that the overheard topic of the conversation was the acquisition, or the proper exhibition, of the appropriate garment for the celebration of the anniversary of one's birth. We hope that our trust of our now clarified understanding of “birthday weed” is not misplaced and our youths will not confound “birthday weed” with “birthday suit”.
As always, the Gentle Reader can reach his own informed conclusions on the revival of “young hemp” as an appropriate appellation for certain youths.
As a Great Occultist, Yours Truly often has experienced the good fortune of being in “right place at the right time” or as Jung would believe, our lives experience sublime moments of synchronicity. As a general behavior, I do not strain to hear conversations in public settings. However, “birthday weed” is so jarring to a philologist's ear [even from a distance], that I interrupted my always important work to query the youth. For reasons that are not entirely clear to Yours Truly, their enthusiasm with the idea of “birthday weed” seemed to constantly subside each time I repeated “birthday weed”.
As I don't recall ever hearing “birthday weed” before today, this ignorance on the topic of “birthday weed” may be an indication to the Gentle Reader of the level of devotion that I receive from my many Apprentices. A brief survey of images from the internet confirms the existence of “birthday weed”; with or without cake.
Typically, the youths sit at the elevated tables, but today, for reasons not entirely not clear to Yours Truly, several of them migrated to a contiguous table after the conversation of “birthday weed”. I suspect that these eager youths were seeking the hidden Wisdom of the Ages. My suspicions are not a certainty. Not surprisingly, as based on the previous topic of “birthday weed”, there was a suggestion from potential Apprentice Denver (a Cancer Gemini) to check the OED for marijuana, which revealed a date of 1874. There must have been some underlying disapproval for that late date as the next suggestion was quickly offered: "Research hemp”.
The Gentle Reader may have some insight into the various methods, or madness, that Great Occultists utilize for choosing their research topics. In the immortal words of Dave Berry: “I'm not making this up.”
Research
The following information is courtesy of the Oxford English Dictionary. Citations after the year 1800 have been omitted.
Forms:
OE hænep, henep, ME– hemp, (ME–16 hempe, 15 hemppe).
Etymology:
Old English hęnep, hænep = Old Low German *hanap, *hanip,
Middle Dutch and Dutch hennep,
Low German hemp,
Old High German hanaf, -if, -uf (Middle High German hanef, German hanf),
Old Norse hampr (Swedish hampa, Danish hamp) < Old Germanic *hanpi-z, *hanapi-z, cognate with Greek κάνναβις,
Latin cannabis: compare also
Lithuanian kanapés,
Old Church Slavonic konoplja,
Persian kanab.
The word is perhaps not Aryan, but adopted in Greek, Germanic, etc. from some common source.
1. An annual herbaceous plant, Cannabis sativa, N.O. Urticaceæ, a native of Western and central Asia, cultivated for its valuable fibre.
It is a dioecious plant, of which the female is more vigorous and long-lived than the male, whence the sexes were popularly mistaken, and the female called carl hemp or winter hemp, the male fimble hemp (i.e. female), barren hemp, or summer hemp: see carl hemp n. and fimble n.1
(The quotations from the Saxon Leechdoms appear to refer to some wild British plant, perh. the wild hemp of 5.)
a1000 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 198/12
Cannabum, hænep.
a1000 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 198/15
Cannabin, hænep.
c1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 16
Herba chamepitys þæt is henep [v.r. hænep].
c1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 228
Ðeos wyrt þe man cannane silfatica, & oþrum naman henep nemneþ.
c1325 [implied in: c1325 Gloss. W. de Biblesw. in Wright Voc. 156
Canoys, hempseed. (at hempseed n. a)].
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 235/2
Hempe, canabum.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry §146
In Marche is tyme to sowe flaxe & hempe.
1551 W. Turner New Herball sig. Hjv,
Hempe..is profitable for many thynges..and specially to make stronge cables, and roopes of.
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball i. l. 72
Hempe is called in Greeke κάνναβις..in English Hempe, Neckeweede, and Gallow~grasse.
1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. xxix. 457
Hemp has a five-parted calyx in the flowers which bear stamens, but in the pistilliferous ones it is one-leafed, entire, and gaping on the side.
b.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry §146
Thy female hempe must be pulled from the churle hempe, for that beareth no sede..The churle hempe beareth sede..the hemp therof is not soo good as the female hempe.
1577 in J. Raine Wills & Inventories N. Counties Eng. (1835) I. 415
Tenn dosen femle hempe vijl.
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 572
The male is called Charle Hempe, and Winter Hempe. The female Barren Hempe, and Sommer Hempe.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. (at cited word),
The male Hemp, or summer Hemp, which bears no seeds, and is called by the farmers Fimble-hemp, will have its stalks turn white in July.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. (at cited word),
The remaining plants, which are the female Hemp, called by the farmer Karle-hemp, are to be left till Michaelmas.
2. The cortical fibre of this plant, used for making cordage, and woven into stout fabrics.
▸c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 782
Hemp to maken of gode lines And stronge ropes to his netes.
?a1366 Romaunt Rose 1233
A sukkenye, That not of hempe ne [? hempene] heerdis was.
1404 in W. H. Stevenson Rec. Borough Nottingham (1883) II. 22, xlv.
strykes de hempe, iiijd.
1550 R. Crowley One & Thyrtye Epigrammes sig. Div,
Newe halters of hemppe.
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 105
Long, deepe prams, sowed together with hempe and cord.
1663 S. Pepys Diary 18 Feb. (1971) IV. 49
Casting up..accounts of 500 Tons of hemp brought from Riga.
1722 W. Sewel Hist. Quakers (1795) vii. II. 10
Committed to Bridewell and required to beat hemp.
3. a. In allusion to a rope for hanging.
†stretchhemp: a person worthy of the gallows.
†to wag hemp: to be hanged.
1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in Wks. 715/1
To mocke the sacrament the blessed body of god, and ful like a stretch hempe, call it but cake bred.
1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in Wks. 715/1
Tindall..feareth not (like one yt would at length wagge hempe in the winde) to mocke at all such miracles.
a1616 Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iii. vi. 41
Let not Hempe his Wind-pipe suffocate.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 60
Of no small use to purge a Common-wealth, without the expence of Hemp.
b. (See quot. 1785) Cf. hempy n.
1785 F. Grose Classical Dict. Vulgar Tongue (at cited word),
Young hemp, an appellation for a graceless boy.
4. A narcotic drug obtained from the resinous exudation of the Indian hemp; bhang; hashish.
[No citations before the year 1800.]
5. With qualifying words, applied to numerous other plants yielding a useful fibre, or otherwise resembling hemp: as
African hemp n.
(a) = bowstring hemp n. at bow-string n. Compounds 2;
(b) Sparmannia africana (Miller Plant-names).
American false hemp n. Datisca hirta (Miller Plant-names).
bastard hemp n. name given to the British plants Hemp-nettle and Hemp Agrimony (Britten & Holland).
Bengal hemp n.,
Bombay hemp n.,
Madras hemp n. Crotalaria juncea (Miller).
bowstring hemp n.
(a) a plant of the genus Sanseviera, esp. S. guineensis, a liliaceous plant of tropical Africa, the leaf-fibres of which are used by the indigenous people for bowstrings and for making ropes;
(b) in India, S. Roxburghiana; also Calatropis gigantea (N.O. Asclepiadaceæ).
brown Indian hemp n. Hibiscus cannabinus (Miller).
Canada hemp n. (or Indian hemp) Apocynum cannabinum, a N. American perennial (J. Smith Dict. Econ. Pl.).
Cretan hemp n. Datisca cannabina (Miller).
holy hemp n. an old name for Galeopsis Ladanum (Miller).
Indian hemp n. a tropical variety of Common Hemp, Cannabis Indica.
jute hemp n. (or plant hemp) Corchoris capsularis ( Encycl. Brit.).
Kentucky hemp n. Urtica (Laportea) Canadensis and U. cannabina (Miller).
Manilla hemp n. the fibre of Musa textilis, of the Banana family.
mountain hemp n. Hyoscyamus insanus (Syd. Soc. Lex.).
nettle hemp n. = hemp-nettle n.
Peruvian hemp n.
Bonapartea juncea.
Queensland hemp n.
the tropical weed Sida rhombifolia (N.O. Malvaceæ), called also Paddy or Native Lucerne, and Jelly Leaf.
ramie hemp n.
Bœhmeria nivea.
sisal hemp n.
the fibre of species of Agave, esp. A. Sisalana.
Virginian hemp n.,
willow hemp Acnida cannabina, an amarantaceous marsh plant, native of eastern U.S.
water hemp n.
a name given to Eupatorium cannabinum and Bidens tripartita, in U.S. to Acnida cannabina.
wild hemp n.
Eupatorium cannabinum (Gerarde), and Galeopsis Tetrahit (Britten & Holland).
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 573
This wilde Hempe called Cannabis Spuria, and also Cannabina Spuria, or bastarde Hempe.
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 573
In English wilde hempe, Nettle hempe, bastard hempe.
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 574
The bastarde or wilde Hempes, especially those of the water, are called commonly Hepatorium Cannabinum..in English, water Hempe, bastard and water Agrimonie.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues
Chanure sauvage, Bastard Hempe, wild Hempe, Nettle Hempe.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. 72/2
The bastard Hemp is with several Burs, or hairy Knobs at a distance on the stalk.
1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3)
Bidens tripartita, Trifid Doubletooth, Water Hemp, Water Agrimony.
Compounds
C1. attrib. Of hemp; made of hemp, hempen.
a1400–50 Alexander 2224
Oure pepill..Halis vp hemp cordis.
1549 in Acts Privy Council (1890) II. 349/1
Hemp ropes, ml weight.
1599 Acct.-bk. W. Wray in Antiquary (1896) 32 243
A p[air] of hempe shetes.
1630 B. Jonson New Inne i. iii,
He may, perhaps, take a degree at Tiburne..And so goe forth a Laureat in hempe circle!
1663 S. Pepys Diary 24 Feb. (1971) IV. 57
Captain Cocke and I upon his Hempe accounts till 9 at night.
1668 F. Kirkman Eng. Rogue II. ii. ii. ii. 15
You have no remedy against an hemp halter I hope.
The above citations in chronological order with secondary sources in red.
1000a (1884) Cannabin, hænep.
1000a (1884) Cannabum, hænep.
1000c Herba chamepitys þæt is henep [v.r. hænep].
1000c Ðeos wyrt þe man cannane silfatica, & oþrum naman henep nemneþ.
1300▸c (1868) Hemp to maken of gode lines And stronge ropes to his netes.
1325c [implied in: c1325 Gloss. W. de Biblesw. in Wright Voc. 156 Canoys, hempseed. (at hempseed n. a)].
1366a? A sukkenye, That not of hempe ne [? hempene] heerdis was.
1400–50a Oure pepill..Halis vp hemp cordis.
1404 (1883) , xlv. strykes de hempe, iiijd.
1440c Hempe, canabum.
1523? In Marche is tyme to sowe flaxe & hempe.
1523? Thy female hempe ... churle hempe, ...The churle hempe ...the hemp therof ... female hempe.
1532 Tindall..feareth not (like one yt would at length wagge hempe in the winde) ...
1549 (1890) Hemp ropes, ml weight.
1550 Newe halters of hemppe.
1551 Hempe..is profitable for many thynges..and specially to make stronge cables, and roopes of.
1577 (1835) Tenn dosen femle hempe vijl.
1578 Hempe is called in Greeke κάνναβις..in English Hempe, Neckeweede...
1597 The male is called Charle Hempe, and Winter Hempe. The female Barren Hempe, and Sommer Hempe.
1597 In English wilde hempe, Nettle hempe, bastard hempe.
1597 This wilde Hempe called Cannabis Spuria, and also Cannabina Spuria, or bastarde Hempe.
1597 The bastarde or wilde Hempes...in English, water Hempe, bastard and water Agrimonie.
1599 (1896) A p[air] of hempe shetes.
1611 Chanure sauvage, Bastard Hempe, wild Hempe, Nettle Hempe.
1616 a (1623) Let not Hempe his Wind-pipe suffocate.
1630 He may, perhaps, take a degree at Tiburne..And so goe forth a Laureat in hempe circle!
1634 Long, deepe prams, sowed together with hempe and cord.
1654 Of no small use to purge a Common-wealth, without the expence of Hemp.
1663 (1971) Casting up..accounts of 500 Tons of hemp brought from Riga.
1663 (1971) Captain Cocke and I upon his Hempe accounts till 9 at night.
1668 You have no remedy against an hemp halter I hope.
1688 The bastard Hemp is with several Burs, or hairy Knobs at a distance on the stalk.
1722 (1795) Committed to Bridewell and required to beat hemp.
1753 The male Hemp, or summer Hemp,... Fimble-hemp, will have its stalks turn white ...
1753 The remaining plants, which are the female Hemp, called by the farmer Karle-hemp...
1785 Young hemp, an appellation for a graceless boy.
1785 Hemp has a five-parted calyx in the flowers which bear stamens...
1796 Bidens tripartita, Trifid Doubletooth, Water Hemp, Water Agrimony.
Conclusion
Since our brief involvement with marijuana indicated that it was initially recorded in 1874, we were surprised that hemp has a well documented and long history in the English language. Our usual practice is to omit numerous variations [section 5], however, we thought it would be edifying for the Gentle Reader to be aware of the many types of hemp found throughout the world. A perusal of the philological uses of the word “hemp” indicates that it has a well documented history as the main component in making rope. Hemp was so common for rope making that by the early sixteenth century, so common, in fact, that “to wag hemp” became a slang term for hanging. By the year 1785, “young hemp” was informal writing for a graceless boy. This is an example of the expressiveness of the English language; its speakers are continually creating new meanings for existing words.
Subsequently, as we were unable to find any reliable philological citations of “birthday weed”, we must conclude that we have misunderstood the context of the overheard conversion and, not surprisingly the Internet contributed to our misunderstanding. [“The internet beguiled me, and I was deceived.”]
The following are various definitions for “weed” with the multiple citations omitted.
1. An article of apparel; a garment.
2. a- collect. sing. Clothing, raiment, dress, apparel.
5. A garment, or garb, distinctive of a person's sex, profession, state of life.
It is now painfully obvious to Yours Truly that the overheard topic of the conversation was the acquisition, or the proper exhibition, of the appropriate garment for the celebration of the anniversary of one's birth. We hope that our trust of our now clarified understanding of “birthday weed” is not misplaced and our youths will not confound “birthday weed” with “birthday suit”.
As always, the Gentle Reader can reach his own informed conclusions on the revival of “young hemp” as an appropriate appellation for certain youths.
