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.
3.
an archer's bow made of this wood.
4.
this tree or its branches as a symbol of sorrow, death, or resurrection.
Origin:
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 eó yew (Old Irish: stem, shaft), Welsh ywen yew tree, Russian íva willow
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 eó yew (Old Irish: stem, shaft), Welsh ywen yew tree, Russian íva willow
00:10
Yew
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To yew
Collins
World English Dictionary
yew (juː) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 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 |
| 3. | archery a bow made of yew |
| [Old English īw; related to Old High German īwa, Old Norse ӯr yew, Latin ūva grape, Russian iva willow] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
yew
O.E. iw, eow "yew," from P.Gmc. *iwa-/*iwo- (cf. M.Du. iwe, Du. ijf, O.H.G. iwa, Ger. Eibe, O.N. yr), from PIE *ei-wo- (cf. O.Ir. eo, Welsh ywen "yew"), perhaps a suffixed form of *ei- "reddish, motley, yellow." OED says Fr. if, Sp. iva, M.L. ivus are from Gmc. (and says Du. ijf is from Fr.); others
posit a Gaul. ivos as the source of these. Lith. jeva likewise is said to be from Gmc. It symbolizes both death and immortality, being poisonous as well as long-lived.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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