wormwood

noun

worm·​wood ˈwərm-ˌwu̇d 

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

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

The key ingredients in absinthe are anise, fennel, and—most importantly—wormwood. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2024

The ingredients vary, but generally include quinine, wormwood, citrus peel, vanilla, gentian root, thyme, ginger, and baking spices. —Jason Wilson, Travel + Leisure, 3 Dec. 2023

The table is offered in either rustic wormwood or a darker ebony rustic. —Shannon Quimby, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Oct. 2023

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

Kids Definition

wormwood

noun

worm·​wood ˈwərm-ˌwu̇d 

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 

: artemisia sense 2

especially : a European plant (Artemisia absinthium) yielding a bitter slightly aromatic dark green oil used in absinthe