mugwort

noun

mug·​wort ˈməg-ˌwərt 

-wȯrt

1

: any of several artemisias

especially : a Eurasian perennial herb (Artemisia vulgaris) that is naturalized in North America and has aromatic leaves used in folk medicine and to flavor beverages

2

: the leaves of a mugwort compare moxa

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Imagine starter of cannonball jellyfish from coastal Georgia, main courses of Asian shore crab from Chesapeake Bay and dumplings stuffed with wild boar from Texas, and ice cream flavored with mugwort, whose aggressive roots push aside native plants. —Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 13 Jan. 2022

Located in the courtyard of the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley, Cafe Ohlone is perfumed with native plants like yerba buena, mugwort and hummingbird sage. —Caleb Pershan, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Dec. 2022

Choose at least one smaller tree, like elderberry, California black walnut or laurel, plus berry-rich shrubs like toyon and low-growing or groundcover plants like mugwort to grow under and around the oak tree. —Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2022

Overconsumption of pennyroyal and mugwort, for example, can cause liver failure, according to Ryan Marino, the medical director of toxicology and addiction at the University Hospitals in Cleveland. —Rania Soetirto, NBC News, 22 July 2022

One trend has been the posting of videos, tweets and images of herbs including mugwort, pennyroyal and blue cohosh. —Rachel Lerman, Washington Post, 4 July 2022

Lai wrapped those shore crabs in crispy potato skin rolls topped with melty local Gouda cheese, folded herbaceous mugwort into steamed rice, and even smoked cicadas to top kale salads with an unexpected crunch. —Aliza Abarbanel, Bon Appétit, 22 Apr. 2022

Garlic mustard and chickweed at the start of spring, elderflower and nettle in the season; serviceberries, mulberries and mugwort in summer; and pawpaws, persimmons and crab apples in fall. —Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2022

In the sweep of a pad, fruit AHAs gently resurface, niacinamide and Japanese mugwort visibly even skin tone, reduce redness and firm the look of pores, while wild rose minimizes excess oil and sebum. —Alaina Demopoulos, Allure, 22 Feb. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English mucgwyrt, from mucg- (perhaps akin to Old English mycg midge) + wyrt wort

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1