rag·weed

[rag-weed]
noun
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

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World English Dictionary
ragweed (ˈræɡˌwiːd) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
Also called: ambrosia any plant of the chiefly North American genus Ambrosia, such as A. artemisiifolia (common ragweed): family Asteraceae (composites). Their green tassel-like flowers produce large amounts of pollen, which causes hay fever

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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00:10
Ragweed is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ragweed
1790, from ragged + + weed; so called from shape of the leaves. Applied to a different plant, ragwort, from 1650s. Ragwort itself is attested from mid-15c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

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.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Slang Dictionary

ragweed definition


  1. 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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Example sentences
Immunotherapy involves subjecting patients to increasing amounts of ragweed or other compounds to which they are allergic.
For example, melon contains substances similar to ragweed pollen, and apples have allergens similar to tree pollen.
Injections for ragweed and, sometimes, dust mites have higher risks for side effects than other allergy shots.
Thus in a few weeks ragweed plants produce billions of pollen grains, casting them to the winds and to runny noses.
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