The English word chicory is of Greco-Latin origin. In Slovak, the word is associated with the verb to wait – waiting (plant). Chicory grows along field roads, paths, and ditches. In the past, its constant presence at the roadside evoked the image of someone standing there, waiting for another person. Slovak has grammatical genders; chicory is feminine. According to an old Slovak and Slavic legend, the blue chicory flower is a maiden under a spell. She has not lost hope and still waits by the roadside for her beloved to return from war or a long journey out into the world.