wormwood

plural wormwoods

1. countableuncountableAn intensely bitter herb (Artemisia absinthium and similar plants in genus Artemisia) used in medicine, in the production of absinthe and vermouth, and as a tonic.

   Cliff took two glasses and filled one with wine And one with wormwood.

   1897, Edwin Arlington Robinson, “Cliff Klingenhagen”, in Children of the Night

   5 more examples

   But as I said, / When it did taste the wormwood on the nipple / Of my dug and felt it bitter, pretty fool, / To see it tetchy and fall out with the dug!

   c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii (the nurse's monologue)]

   Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jeremiah 9:15

   Blue skippers in sunny hours ope and shut Where wormwood and grunsel flowers by the cart ruts […]

   c. 1864, John Clare, We passed by green closes

   Amongst the herbs to be administered when the charm was sung over him were a yew-berry, lupin, helenium, marsh mallow, dock, elder, wormwood and strawberry leaves.

   1922, Eleanour Sinclair Rohde, The Old English Herbals, London: Longmans, Green and Co., page 16

   Tradition credits John the Baptist with wearing a girdle fashioned of wormwood, while he was in the wilderness.

   1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 1

   Synonyms: common wormwood, grande wormwood, absinthe, mugwort, artemisia

2. countablefigurativelyuncountableSomething that causes bitterness or affliction; a cause of mortification or vexation.

   Yet I think the Archdeacon, a "new man," to whom the aristocratic Canon's popularity was wormwood, did dislike him.

   1897, Stanley John Weyman, “The Deanery Ball”, in For the Cause

   1 more example

   The irony of this reply was wormwood to Zeluco; he fell into a gloomy fit of musing, and made no farther inquiry […].

   1789, John Moore, Zeluco, Valancourt, published 2008, page 57

plural Wormwoods

1. countableuncountableChristianityA star or angel that appears in the Book of Revelation, turning waters bitter and poisonous.

   1 more example

   And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelation 8:10–11

2. countableuncountableA surname.

   Having got the address from the school records, Miss Honey set out to walk from her own home to the Wormwoods’ house shortly after nine.

   2013, Roald Dahl, Matilda, London: Puffin, →OCLC, page 86