See Also: oil of wormwood(medicine)
sea wormwood(medicine)
wormwood(medicine)
wormwood(dictionary)
wormwood(dictionary)
Wormwood Scrubs(dictionary)

wormwood (iou)



wormwood noun & adjective.
[Old English wermod = Old Saxon wer(i)moda, Old High German wer(i)muota (German Wermut), alt. in late Middle English as if from WORM noun + WOOD noun1: cf. VERMOUTH.]
A. noun.
A hoary aromatic plant of the composite family, Artemisia absinthium, a traditional ingredient of vermouth and absinthe with a proverbially bitter taste, and formerly used as a tonic, anthelmintic, etc. Also, with specifying word, any of various other artemisias or similar plants. OE.
Roman wormwood, sea wormwood, etc. salt of wormwood impure potassium carbonate obtained from the ashes of wormwood.
fig. A type of what causes bitterness and grief; (a source of) bitter mortification or vexation. Freq. in gall and wormwood. M16.
Either of two European noctuid moths, Cucullia absinthii and C. artemisiae, the larvae of which feed on wormwood and mugwort. M19.
b. attrib. or as adjective. Made or flavoured with wormwood; fig. causing bitterness and grief. L16.
Comb. & special collocations: wormwood-beer: in which wormwood is infused; wormwood lecture a scolding; wormwood water, wormwood wine a cordial or liqueur flavoured (like absinth or vermouth) from wormwood.