Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Yew
Yew
,Noun.
[OE.
ew
, AS. eów
, īw
, eoh
; akin to D. ijf
, OHG. īwa
, īha
, G. eibe
, Icel. ȳr
; cf. Ir. iubhar
, Gael. iubhar
, iughar
, W. yw
, ywen
, Lith. jëva
the black alder tree.] 1.
(Bot.)
An evergreen tree (
Taxus baccata
) of Europe, allied to the pines, but having a peculiar berrylike fruit instead of a cone. It frequently grows in British churchyards. 2.
The wood of the yew. It is light red in color, compact, fine-grained, and very elastic. It is preferred to all other kinds of wood for bows and whipstocks, the best for these purposes coming from Spain.
3.
A bow for shooting, made of the yew.
Yew
(ū)
, Adj.
Of or pertaining to yew trees; made of the wood of a yew tree;
as, a
. yew
whipstockWebster 1828 Edition
Yew
YEW
,Noun.
YEW
,Verb.
I.
Definition 2024
yew
yew
English
Noun
yew (countable and uncountable, plural yews)
- (countable) A species of coniferous tree, Taxus baccata, with dark-green flat needle-like leaves and seeds bearing red arils, native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia.
- (countable, by extension) Any tree or shrub of the genus Taxus.
- Other conifers resembling plants in genus Taxus
- in family Podocarpaceae
- in family Cephalotaxaceae
- (uncountable) The wood of the such trees.
- 1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 37:
- To prevent a too great consumption of yew, bowyers were directed to make four bows of witch-hazel, ash or elm, to one of yew, and no person under seventeen years of age, unless possessed of moveables worth forty marks, of the son of parents having an estate of ten pounds per annum might shoot in an yew bow, under a penalty of 6s. 8d.
-
- A bow for archery, made of yew wood.
Synonyms
- (Taxus baccata): English yew, European yew, common yew
Derived terms
terms derived from yew (noun)
Translations
Taxus baccata
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tree or shrub of the genus Taxus
|
|
wood of the yew
Adjective
yew (not comparable)
- Made from the wood of the yew tree.
Translations
made from the wood of the yew tree
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References
- ↑ Marlies Philippa et al., eds., Etymologisch Woordenboek van het Nederlands, A-Z, s.v. “ijf” (Amsterdam UP, 3 Dec. 2009).
See also
- Taxus baccata on Wikipedia.Wikipedia