ragweed

[ rag-weed ]
See synonyms for ragweed on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of the composite plants of the genus Ambrosia, the airborne pollen of which is the most prevalent cause of autumnal hay fever, as the common North American species, A. trifida(great ragweed, or giant ragweed ) and A. artemisiifolia.

Origin of ragweed

1
First recorded in 1650–60; rag1 + weed1, so called from its ragged appearance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ragweed in a sentence

  • Yet these tall Thistles and Ragweeds are only the first stage of a very interesting invasion.

    The Romance of Plant Life | G. F. Scott Elliot
  • After a time the snow came, a foot and a half of it, till only the tops of the seedy ragweeds showed above the level white.

    The Fall of the Year | Dallas Lore Sharp

British Dictionary definitions for ragweed

ragweed

/ (ˈræɡˌwiːd) /


noun
  1. any plant of the chiefly North American genus Ambrosia, such as A. artemisiifolia (common ragweed): family Asteraceae (composites). Their green tassel-like flowers produce large amounts of pollen, which causes hay fever: Also called: ambrosia

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012