wormwood

noun

worm·​wood ˈwərm-ˌwu̇d How to pronounce wormwood (audio)
1
: artemisia
especially : a European plant (Artemisia absinthium) that has silvery silky-haired leaves and drooping yellow flower heads and yields a bitter dark green oil used in absinthe
2
: something bitter or grievous : bitterness

Examples of wormwood in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Complementing the lavender is an array of medicinal and aromatic herbs that include chamomile, echinacea, sage and wormwood. Leslie Katz, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024 At the core of it are herbs—grand wormwood, green anise, and fennel—that are infused and re-distilled and flavored usually with more herbs like angelica, star anise, licorice root, and others. Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 12 Oct. 2024 Luna Morada incorporates a mix of purple maize, wormwood, milk thistle and warming spices such as cinnamon and clove. Rachel King, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024 So far, researchers have determined via pollen samples that the tomb’s occupants were rubbed with creams containing wormwood and goosefoot. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for wormwood 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wormwood.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English wormwode, folk-etymological alteration of warmode, wermod, going back to Old English wermōd, going back to West Germanic *wermōda- (whence Old Saxon wermōda, Old High German wermuota), perhaps going back to a derivative of a base *wermo- "bitter," dissimilated from dialectal Indo-European *(s)u̯eru̯o- (whence Welsh chwerw "bitter," Old Irish serb)

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wormwood was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near wormwood

Cite this Entry

“Wormwood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wormwood. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

wormwood

noun
worm·​wood ˈwərm-ˌwu̇d How to pronounce wormwood (audio)
1
: a European plant that is related to the daisies and yields a bitter dark green oil
2
: something bitter or painful
it was wormwood for him to accept charity

Medical Definition

wormwood

noun
worm·​wood ˈwərm-ˌwu̇d How to pronounce wormwood (audio)
: artemisia sense 2
especially : a European plant (Artemisia absinthium) yielding a bitter slightly aromatic dark green oil used in absinthe

More from Merriam-Webster on wormwood

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!