Dictionary

wormwood en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈwɛːm.wʊd/ Humberside, Teesside, fair–fur merger
• /ˈweːm.wʊd/ Liverpool, fair–fur merger
• /ˈwəɾm.wʉd/ (Northern-Ireland)
• /ˈwøːm.wʊd/ (New-Zealand, Wales)
• /ˈwɚm.wʊd/ (General-American)
• /ˈwʌɾm.wʉd/ (Scotland)
• /ˈwəːm.wɵd/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /ˈwɜːm.wʊd/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio

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.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) 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.
   • Cliff took two glasses and filled one with wine And one with wormwood. 1897, Edwin Arlington Robinson, “Cliff Klingenhagen”, in Children of the Night:
   • Blue skippers in sunny hours ope and shut Where wormwood and grunsel flowers by the cart ruts […] c. 1864, John Clare, We passed by green closes:
   • But as I said, / When it did taste the wormwood on the nipple / Of my dug and felt it bitter, pretty fool, / To see it tetchy and fall out with the dug! c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii (the nurse's monologue)]:
   • Tradition credits John the Baptist with wearing a girdle fashioned of wormwood, while he was in the wilderness. 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 1:
   • Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jeremiah 9:15:
   • Amongst the herbs to be administered when the charm was sung over him were a yew-berry, lupin, helenium, marsh mallow, dock, elder, wormwood and strawberry leaves. 1922, Eleanour Sinclair Rohde, The Old English Herbals, London: Longmans, Green and Co., page 16:
2. (countable, figuratively, uncountable) Something that causes bitterness or affliction; a cause of mortification or vexation.
   • Yet I think the Archdeacon, a "new man," to whom the aristocratic Canon's popularity was wormwood, did dislike him. 1897, Stanley John Weyman, “The Deanery Ball”, in For the Cause:
   • The irony of this reply was wormwood to Zeluco; he fell into a gloomy fit of musing, and made no farther inquiry […]. 1789, John Moore, Zeluco, Valancourt, published 2008, page 57:

Forms

Deriveds

common wormwood · annual wormwood · sweet wormwood · sea wormwood · wormwood hare · African wormwood · gall and wormwood · tree wormwood · Wormwood Scrubs · Roman wormwood · Russian wormwood · salt of wormwood

Synonyms

absinthe · grande wormwood · mugwort · artemisia · common wormwood

Translations (126)

fa درمنه (Artemisia absinthium) · es amargura (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · wa foirt (Artemisia absinthium) · fi mali (Artemisia absinthium) · uk чорнобиль (Artemisia absinthium) · de Wermut (Artemisia absinthium) · it assenzio (Artemisia absinthium) · ja 苦蓬 (Artemisia absinthium) · fr fiel (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · pt absinto (Artemisia absinthium) · sl pelin (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · el αρτεμισία (Artemisia absinthium) · mrj шодышуды (Artemisia absinthium) · sv malört (Artemisia absinthium) · sh пелен (Artemisia absinthium) · bg огорчение (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · sh пѐлин (Artemisia absinthium) · arz صبر (Artemisia absinthium) · cmn 苦艾 (Artemisia absinthium) · pl piołun (Artemisia absinthium) · nn malurt (Artemisia absinthium) · fa افسنطین (Artemisia absinthium) · ru го́речь (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · sl pelin (Artemisia absinthium) · shi cciba (Artemisia absinthium) · yue 苦艾 (Artemisia absinthium) · fr amertume (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · gl madroa (Artemisia absinthium) · be палы́н (Artemisia absinthium) · hu fehér üröm (Artemisia absinthium) · myv шурьма (Artemisia absinthium) · eo absinto (Artemisia absinthium) · es absintio (Artemisia absinthium) · ca donzell (Artemisia absinthium) · he ארטימיסיה (Artemisia absinthium) · tl ahenho (Artemisia absinthium) · gl alosna (Artemisia absinthium) · grc ἀψίνθιον (Artemisia absinthium) · ary شيبة (Artemisia absinthium) · mhr арымшудо (Artemisia absinthium) · la absinthium (Artemisia absinthium) · ga mormónta (Artemisia absinthium) · ro pelin (Artemisia absinthium) · cv армути (Artemisia absinthium) · es mortificación (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · mi taru kawa (Artemisia absinthium) · ru жёлчь (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · fi koiruoho (Artemisia absinthium) · gl asento (Artemisia absinthium) · enm wormwode (Artemisia absinthium) · cy y wermod lwyd (Artemisia absinthium) · fr absinthe (Artemisia absinthium) · nrf lianne (Artemisia absinthium) · eu asentsio (Artemisia absinthium) · th โกฏจุฬาลำพา (Artemisia absinthium) · es amargor (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · ru желчь (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · oj moose-ojiibik (Artemisia absinthium) · sv äkta malört (Artemisia absinthium) · ka ავშანი (Artemisia absinthium) · cs pelyněk (Artemisia absinthium) · ta மருக்கொழுந்து (Artemisia absinthium) · ast axenxu (Artemisia absinthium) · io absinto (Artemisia absinthium) · cmn 中亞苦蒿 /中亚苦蒿 (Artemisia absinthium) · oj moosewijiibik (Artemisia absinthium) · gl asente (Artemisia absinthium) · bg пелин (Artemisia absinthium) · nrf absînthe (Artemisia absinthium) · nb malurt (Artemisia absinthium) · vec ménego maèstro (Artemisia absinthium) · fr armoise (Artemisia absinthium) · kpv батӧг (Artemisia absinthium) · da malurt (Artemisia absinthium) · lld scienz (Artemisia absinthium) · uk поли́н (Artemisia absinthium) · koi вӧвбӧж (Artemisia absinthium) · sq pelin (Artemisia absinthium) · el αψιθιά (Artemisia absinthium) · es ajenjo (Artemisia absinthium) · tyv чашпан (Artemisia absinthium) · es alosna (Artemisia absinthium) · ko 향쑥 (Artemisia absinthium) · kpv кӧинакань (Artemisia absinthium) · alt јапшан (Artemisia absinthium) · sh pelen (Artemisia absinthium) · cs pelyněk pravý (Artemisia absinthium) · el χολή (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · sh pèlin (Artemisia absinthium) · he לַעֲנָה (Artemisia absinthium) · ia absinthio (Artemisia absinthium) · ru раздражи́тельность (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · hy օշինդր (Artemisia absinthium) · bg обида (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · az yovşan (Artemisia absinthium) · ar حَبَق اَلرَّاعِيّ (Artemisia absinthium) · nrf hèrbe à puches (Artemisia absinthium) · grc ἄψινθος (Artemisia absinthium) · ru чернобы́ль (Artemisia absinthium) · mk пе́лин (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · ka აბზინდა (Artemisia absinthium) · mga mormónt (Artemisia absinthium) · mk пе́лин (Artemisia absinthium) · ba әрем (Artemisia absinthium) · ang wermōd (Artemisia absinthium) · gag pelin (Artemisia absinthium) · cy y wermod (Artemisia absinthium) · mhr арым (Artemisia absinthium) · vi ngải cứu (Artemisia absinthium) · et koirohi (Artemisia absinthium) · ru полы́нь (Artemisia absinthium) · fi rikki (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · la batypicron (Artemisia absinthium) · udm арым (Artemisia absinthium) · nl absintalsem (Artemisia absinthium) · sq pelin i zi (Artemisia absinthium) · udm зынпот (Artemisia absinthium) · tr pelin (Artemisia absinthium) · de Wermutstropfen (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · he לַעֲנָה (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · hy բարձվենյակ (Artemisia absinthium) · sk palina (Artemisia absinthium) · pt amargura (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · lmo medeghet (Artemisia absinthium) · mk го́рчина (figurative: that which causes bitterness) · wa absinte (Artemisia absinthium)