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wormwood definition

worm·wood (-wo̵od′)

noun

  1. any of a number of strong-smelling plants (genus Artemisia) of the composite family, with white or yellow flowers; esp., a Eurasian perennial (A. absinthium) that yields a bitter, dark-green oil (wormwood oil) formerly used in making absinthe
  2. a bitter, unpleasant, or mortifying experience

Etymology: ME wormwode, altered by folk etym. (infl. by worm, worm + wode, wood: from use as a vermifuge) < wermode < OE wermod, akin to Ger wermut (> Fr vermout, vermouth)

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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