wormwood
UK /ˈwɜːm.wʊd/ · US /ˈwɚm.wʊd/ noun, proper noun
Forms wormwoods
- noun An intensely bitter herb (Artemisia absinthium and similar plants in genus Artemisia) used in medicine, in the production of absinthe and vermouth, and as a tonic.
- noun (figurative) Something that causes bitterness or affliction; a cause of mortification or vexation.
- proper noun (Christianity) A star or angel that appears in the Book of Revelation, turning waters bitter and poisonous.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English wormwode, a folk etymology (as if worm + wood) of wermode (“wormwood”), from Old English wermōd (“wormwood, absinthe”), from Proto-West Germanic *warjamōdā (“wormwood”). Cognate with Middle Low German wermode, wermede (“wormwood”), German Wermut (“wormwood”). Doublet of vermouth.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A composite plant (Artemisia Absinthium), having a bitter and slightly aromatic taste, formerly used as a tonic and a vermifuge, and to protect woolen garments from moths. It gives the peculiar flavor to the cordial called absinthe. The volatile oil is a narcotic poison. The term is often extended to other species of the same genus.
- noun Anything very bitter or grievous; bitterness.
Etymology [AS. werm, akin to OHG. wermuota, wormuota, G. wermuth, wermut; of uncertain origin.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “wormwood”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details