Herb. Forms: 5 byllerne, billure, 6 bylders, bilders, 6–8 belders; mod. dial. bilders, billers, bellers.
A name given by the old herbalists to some water plant or plants, cruciferous or umbelliferous (perh. Helosciadium or Nasturtium). In modern dialects applied locally to Water Cress, co. Derry; Water Dropwort (Œnanthe crocata), Cornwall; Cow Parsnip, Devon. See Britten and Holland.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 36. Byllerne, watyr herbe, berula, Roy. MS. A. VI. f. 69 b, in Promp. Parv., 36, note. Billura, an herbe that me clepyth billure.
1545. Elyot, Dict., Lauer, an herbe growyng in the water, lyke to alysaunder, but hauyng lesse leaues. Some do call it bylders.
[1548. Cooper, Bibl. Eliota, bilders; Ibid. (1573), Thesaurus, belders.]
1598. Florio, Gorgogliestro, of some called … belders, or bell-rags.
