: a European herb (Isatis tinctoria) of the mustard family formerly grown for the blue dyestuff yielded by its leaves
also
: this dyestuff
Examples of woad in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Montana, dogs identify dyer’s woad, an invasive plant that can harm native vegetation and is hard for humans to detect during parts of its life cycle.
—
Gennaro Tomma, Scientific American, 14 Mar. 2025
The dye analysis confirmed that indigo or woad in the green fabric were both used.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 3 Apr. 2023
The use of indigo or woad in the green color and the lack of any synthetic dye indicated it was made before the 1750s, the museum said in a statement.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2023
Achieving a luxurious hue, coaxed from the red roots of the herb madder and the small bluish leaves of the flower woad, required multiple rounds of costly dyeing.
—Katie Thornton, The Atlantic, 26 Sep. 2022
Many purples in historic fabrics are, in fact, the result of coloring a fabric with a blue dye, like indigo or woad, and a red dye, like madder.
—Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 July 2022
In France in 1598, King Henry IV favored woad producers by banning the import of indigo, and in 1609 decreed that anyone using the dye would be executed.
—Brandon Tensley, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Nov. 2020
Plus, indigo represented a threat to European textile merchants who had heavily invested in woad, a homegrown source of blue dye.
—Brandon Tensley, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Nov. 2020
His ruling élite dressed in the finest clothes, made by boiling woad leaves and madder roots to produce dyes of dazzling cerulean and ruby.
—Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 22 June 2020
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Gennaro Tomma, Scientific American, 14 Mar. 2025
The dye analysis confirmed that indigo or woad in the green fabric were both used.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 3 Apr. 2023
The use of indigo or woad in the green color and the lack of any synthetic dye indicated it was made before the 1750s, the museum said in a statement.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2023
Achieving a luxurious hue, coaxed from the red roots of the herb madder and the small bluish leaves of the flower woad, required multiple rounds of costly dyeing.
—Katie Thornton, The Atlantic, 26 Sep. 2022
Many purples in historic fabrics are, in fact, the result of coloring a fabric with a blue dye, like indigo or woad, and a red dye, like madder.
—Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 July 2022
In France in 1598, King Henry IV favored woad producers by banning the import of indigo, and in 1609 decreed that anyone using the dye would be executed.
—Brandon Tensley, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Nov. 2020
Plus, indigo represented a threat to European textile merchants who had heavily invested in woad, a homegrown source of blue dye.
—Brandon Tensley, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Nov. 2020
His ruling élite dressed in the finest clothes, made by boiling woad leaves and madder roots to produce dyes of dazzling cerulean and ruby.
—Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 22 June 2020
Cite this Entry
“Woad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woad. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share