Word To Use Today: celery.

 I called my daughters Helena and Rosalind. They were both Shakespearean and also, I thought, timeless and lovely names for a pair of remarkable women. Which is what they have become.

But, I don't know...

...if I had my choice again I'm not sure I could find a lovelier name for a girl anywhere than celery.

illustration by Otto Wilhelm Thomé

Word To Use Today: celery. This word goes right back to the Greek word selinon, which means parsley.

Parsley is also a pretty name, but usually people who want to call a daughter after that herb stick with the Greek form and call her Selina.