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

Instead, try growing scented plants and herbs that naturally deter ticks, like catnip, garlic and other alliums, lemongrass, lavender, geraniums, rosemary, thyme, oregano, citronella, wormwood, lemon balm, sage, bee balm, and marigolds. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2026

Its distinct flavor comes from an herb named wormwood. —Chris Tye, CBS News, 6 June 2026

Marigolds, lemongrass, and wormwood are all plants snakes tend to avoid, says Turner. —Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 31 May 2026

Wormwood Like rue, wormwood is another medicinal herb that’s typically grown as an ornamental these days and enjoyed for its delightfully pungent aroma. —Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 10 May 2026

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

Rhymes for wormwood

• allgood
• basswood
• beechwood
• bellwood
• birchwood
• boxwood
• boyhood
• brushwood
• childhood
• cordwood
• dogwood
• driftwood

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