Meanings
plural hogweeds
- Any coarse weedy herb.
- An umbelliferous plant, of genus Heracleum, most species of which are phototoxic.
I see the tall not-weeds with white flowers up close. Don’t touch, don’t touch those. Hogweed, it will burn.
2023, K Patrick, Mrs S, 4th Estate, page 691 more example
“I will bewitch them with flea-bane, blister them with hog-weed,” he said, vainly looking for a suitable spell.
1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 119Synonyms: pig's cole, pigweed, cow parsnip, pig's parsnip, clogweed, cadweed
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn umbelliferous plant, of genus Heracleum, most species of which are phototoxic.
More synonyms by meaning
nountall coarse plant having thick stems and cluster of white to purple flowers
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From hog + weed, so named because of its use as feed for pigs.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans bereklou, beerklou
- bereklouumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
- beerklouumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Ancient Greek σφονδύλιον
- σφονδύλιον (sphondúlion)umbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Arabic هَرْقَلِيَّة, عُشْبَة الْخِنْزِير
- هَرْقَلِيَّة (harqaliyya)umbelliferous plant, Heracleum
- عُشْبَة الْخِنْزِير (ʕušba al-ḵinzīr)umbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Bulgarian хераклеум
- хераклеум (herakleum)umbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Catalan belleraca
- belleracaumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Chinese Mandarin 独活属
- 独活属 (dúhuóshǔ)umbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Czech bolševník
- bolševníkumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Danish bjørneklo
- bjørnekloumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Dutch berenklauw
- berenklauwumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Esperanto herakleo
- herakleoumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Finnish ukonputket
- ukonputketumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
French berce
- berceumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
German Bärenklau
- Bärenklauumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Hungarian medvetalp
- medvetalpumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Icelandic risahvönn
- risahvönnumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Irish feabhrán
- feabhránumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Italian brancorsina, panace
- brancorsinaumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
- panaceumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Latin spondylion
- spondylionumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Latvian latvāņi
- latvāņiumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Lithuanian barštis
- barštisumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Norwegian bjørnekjeks
- bjørnekjeksumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Persian گلپر
- گلپر (golpar)umbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Polish barszcz
- barszczumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Portuguese canabrás, branca ursina
- canabrásumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
- branca ursinaumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Romanian brânca-ursului
- brânca-ursuluiumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Russian борщеви́к, амбро́зия
- борщеви́к (borščevík)umbelliferous plant, Heracleum
- амбро́зия (ambrózija)umbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Spanish branca ursina, espondilio
- branca ursinaumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
- espondilioumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
- pie de osoumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Swedish lokasläktet, loka
- lokasläktetumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
- lokaumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Thai ฮอกวีด
- ฮอกวีดumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Turkish tavşancıl otu, öğrek otu
- tavşancıl otuumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
- öğrek otuumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
- baldırganumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Ukrainian борщі́вник
- борщі́вник (borščívnyk)umbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Welsh efwr
- efwrumbelliferous plant, Heracleum
Cite this entry
hogweed. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hogweed
“hogweed.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hogweed. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hogweed,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hogweed.
Source: hogweed on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.