yew

noun

\ ˈyü

Definition of yew

1a : any of a genus (Taxus of the family Taxaceae, the yew family) of evergreen gymnospermous trees and shrubs with stiff linear leaves and seeds surrounded by a fleshy red aril: such as

(1) : a long-lived Eurasian tree or shrub (T. baccata)

— called also English yew

(2) : a low straggling bush (T. canadensis) of the eastern U.S. and Canada

(3) : pacific yew

b : the wood of a yew especially : the heavy fine-grained wood of the English yew

2 archaic : an archery bow made of yew

Examples of yew in a Sentence

a bow made of yew

Recent Examples on the Web

The mood is not for cubes of boxwood and precision-cut yew, but a wilder shagginess. — Kendra Wilson, Vogue, "At 2019’s Chelsea Flower Show, Wild Survivalist Gardens Grow," 21 May 2019 Photo: courtesy of Cool Patch Pumpkins Peace Maze, Castlewellan, Ireland In 1998, more than a thousand community members began construction of this three-acre hedge maze made out of 6,000 yew trees. — Brynn Mannino, Woman's Day, "9 Magnificent Manmade Mazes," 30 Sep. 2010 SUBSCRIBE TODAY Read some of our award-winning stories on everything from poisonous yew to Boise State wrestling below. — Nicole Blanchard, idahostatesman, "Idaho Statesman staff earns 31 Idaho Press Club awards | Idaho Statesman," 29 Apr. 2018 Proud parades of topiary yews, surely once immaculate, have gone slightly shaggy. — David Usborne, Town & Country, "The Mysterious Case of the Parnham House Fire," 29 May 2018 For instance, deer will generally eat yews and arborvitae, and leave boxwood alone. — Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Sunny or shady? Sandy or clay soil? Know specifics of your garden before picking plants.," 17 Apr. 2018 Would Sky Pencil holly or Japanese yew be considerations? — Neil Sperry, San Antonio Express-News, "Oak galls an ugly home for larvae, but not a major concern," 13 Apr. 2018 The sooty mold is not attacking or hurting the yew. — Dan Gill, NOLA.com, "How to treat aphids on ornamental plants," 10 Mar. 2018 There’s also a playground, a yew maze, Rose Garden, and topiary chess set. — Ellen Scolnic, Philly.com, "Finding Anne Boleyn (and Henry VIII) at Hever Castle," 9 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'yew.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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24 May 2019

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The first known use of yew was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for yew

yew

noun

English Language Learners Definition of yew

: an evergreen tree or bush with stiff needles and small red berries

: the wood of a yew

See the full definition for yew in the English Language Learners Dictionary

yew

noun

\ ˈyü

Kids Definition of yew

: a tree or shrub with stiff needlelike evergreen leaves and seeds having a red juicy covering

yew

noun

\ ˈyü

Medical Definition of yew

: any of a genus (Taxus of the family Taxaceae, the yew family) of evergreen trees and shrubs with stiff linear leaves and seeds surrounded by a fleshy red aril especially : one (T. brevifolia) of the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada whose bark yields the antineoplastic drug paclitaxel