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A phono-semantic compound, 芫 pairs the grass radical 艹, signaling a plant, with the phonetic component 元, which determines its sound. Depending on context, the character has two pronunciations and corresponding botanical meanings. In traditional herbal medicine, it refers to lilac daphne, a poisonous shrub whose flowers are harvested for medicinal preparations. In everyday language, it appears in a compound word for coriander (cilantro), an extremely common aromatic herb widely used as a garnish and seasoning in cuisines around the world.
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