groundsel: [OE] The -sel of groundsel represents Old English swelgan ‘swallow’ (ancestor of modern English swallow), and if ground- genuinely represents ground, then groundsel would mean etymologically ‘groundswallower’ – presumably a reference to its rapid and invasive growth. However, in early texts the form gund?swelgi? appears, the first element of which suggests Old English gund ‘pus’. If this is the word’s true origin, it would mean literally ‘pus-swallower’, an allusion to its use in poultices to absorb pus, and groundsel would be a variant introduced through association with ground. => swallow