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wormwood

Etymology and origin of the English word wormwood

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈwɜːm.wʊd/ (UK); /ˈwɚm.wʊd/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is an alteration by folk etymology, as if from worm and wood, of inherited from Middle English wermod,[2][3][4][5][6] inherited from Old English wermōd (“wormwood, absinthe”),[2][3][4][5][6] related to German Wermut and to vermouth, but of unknown ultimate origin.[3][4][6] Weekley suggests wer “man” and mōd “courage”, from the herb's early use as an aphrodisiac.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The plant Artemisia absinthium, proverbial for its bitter taste (before 1400–50 in the OED; before 1400 in Barnhart).[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

Perhaps because of the folk etymology, wormwood was used as a vermifuge and to protect clothes and bedding from moths and fleas.[4][3] Its bitterness made it an emblem of what is bitter and grievous to the soul (1535),[7][4] as in the phrase to be wormwood or gall and wormwood to someone, to be acutely vexing (1809).[7] It is used in making absinthe and in flavouring certain wines.[2][5]

Timeline

  • before 800 – Old English wermōd.[3]
  • before 1400 – wormwod.[3]
  • 1535 – figuratively, bitterness, grief.[7]
  • 1809 – to be wormwood, to vex acutely.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Any of several aromatic plants of the genus Artemisia, especially the bitter European A. absinthium, used in making absinthe and in medicine.
  2. Something harsh, bitter or grievous; bitterness.
  • vermouth
  • absinthe
  • mugwort
  • gall

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

  • clue · also from Old English
  • gossip · also from Old English
  • nostril · also from Old English
  • silly · also from Old English
  • nickname · also from Old English
  • ghost · also from Old English
  • witch · also from Old English
  • werewolf · also from Old English
Cite this entry

“Wormwood.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/wormwood. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·