any of the composite plants of the genus Ambrosia, the airborne pollen of which is the most prevalent cause of autumnal hay fever, as the common North American species, A. trifida(great ragweed or giant ragweed) and A. artemisiifolia.
Origin: 1650–60; rag1+ weed1, so called from its ragged appearance
n. inferior marijuana. (Drugs.) : Bart just sells ragweed except to his friends.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History
ragweed
1790, from ragged (q.v.), so called from shape of the leaves. Applied to a different plant, ragwort, from 1658. Ragwort itself is attested from c.1450.
Main Entry: great ragweed Function: noun :RAGWEED b
Main Entry: rag·weed Pronunciation: 'rag-"wEd Function: noun : any of various chiefly No. American weedy herbaceous plants comprising the genusAmbrosia and producing highly allergenic pollen responsible for much hay fever and asthma: as a: an annual weed (A. artemisiifolia) with finely divided foliage that iscommon on open or cultivated ground in much of No. America b: a coarse annual (A. trifida) with some or all of the leaves usually deeply and palmately 3-cleft or 5-cleft calledalso great ragweed
ragweed rag·weed (rāg'wēd') n. Any of various weeds of the genus Ambrosia having small greenish unisexual flower heads and producing abundant pollen that is one of the chief causes of hay fever.