A Dreaded Hamwort uses ‘wort’ as… ‘thief’? ‘Bane’?
But AFAIK, ‘wort’ is what you make beer from.
Is there a linguistic precedent for using ‘wort’ in the way it was used in the cartoon?
Woundwort, used in poultices, could be seen as “making the wound go away.” Ergo, “hamwort” would also “make the ham go away.”
“Wort” just means “plant” or “herb”. I’m not sure how it relates to ham, here.
What I want to know is, what are the matches for?
Not really. “Wort” just means plant (often one with medicinal properties), so woundwort is just a plant with medicinal properties to cure wounds.
I expect that Kliban just used the word because it sounded funny in combination with ham. “Hambane” would make more sense, but it sounds too much like “hambone.”
I called my wife a blanketwort this morning.
Yes, but “…wort” in English plant names is related to “…wurz” in German plant names,
hinting to the root of the plant.