sage1 /sāj, seɪdʒ 
/ ▸ noun 1 an aromatic plant with grayish-green leaves that are used as a culinary herb, native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean. Salvia officinalis, family
Labiatae. ▪ used in names of aromatic plants of the mint family that resemble sage, e.g. wood sage. 2 (also white sage) either of two bushy North American plants with silvery-gray leaves. ● an aromatic plant that is burned by some North American Indians for its cleansing properties and as an incense (Artemisia ludoviciana, family Compositae).
● a plant of the goosefoot family (Krascheninnikovia lanata, family Chenopodiaceae).
– ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French sauge, from Latin salvia ‘healing plant’, from salvus ‘safe’.
EnglishOxford New American Dictionary