yew

1
[ yoo ]

noun
  1. any of several evergreen, coniferous trees and shrubs of the genera Taxus and Torreya, constituting the family Taxaceae, of the Old World, North America, and Japan, having needlelike or scalelike foliage and seeds enclosed in a fleshy aril.

  2. the fine-grained, elastic wood of any of these trees.

  1. an archer's bow made of this wood.

  2. this tree or its branches as a symbol of sorrow, death, or resurrection.

Origin of yew

1
before 900; Middle English ew(e), Old English ēow, ī(o)w; cognate with Old High German īga, īwa (Middle High German īwe,German Eibe), Old Norse ýr, MIr yew (Old Irish: stem, shaft), Welsh ywen yew tree, Russian íva willow

Words that may be confused with yew

Words Nearby yew

Other definitions for yew (2 of 2)

yew2
[ yoo; unstressed yoo ]

pronounEye Dialect.
  1. you.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use yew in a sentence

  • The conversation generally turned upon his old “missus,” who was buried under a yew tree, near the wicket gate.

  • He must have slipped behind a ragged old yew which had once been clipped and trimmed to look like a chess-king.

    The Talking Horse | F. Anstey

British Dictionary definitions for yew

yew

/ (juː) /


noun
  1. any coniferous tree of the genus Taxus, of the Old World and North America, esp T. baccata, having flattened needle-like leaves, fine-grained elastic wood, and solitary seeds with a red waxy aril resembling berries: family Taxaceae

  2. the wood of any of these trees, used to make bows for archery

  1. archery a bow made of yew

Origin of yew

1
Old English īw; related to Old High German īwa, Old Norse ӯr yew, Latin ūva grape, Russian iva willow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012