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

Both start as regular wine, to which producers add botanicals (like wormwood and quinine), extra alcohol and some kind of sweet syrup, to create a red or white version. —Sofia Perez, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024

The Edelweiss accord is sweet and nectary, which pairs beautifully with the citrus, wormwood, and spices. —Sarah Hoffmann, Allure, 5 Dec. 2024

Absinthe is made from the herb named grand wormwood, or Artemisia absinthium. —Tom Mullen, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

The reasons for the ban may have been due to its high levels of alcohol (72%) or the fact that thujone within wormwood is considered a neurotoxin. —Tom Mullen, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

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