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

Words Nearby ragweed

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

How to use ragweed in a sentence

  • It is bounded on the north by goldenrod, on the south by ragweed, on the east by asthma and the pollen of anemophylous plants.

    Shandygaff | Christopher Morley
  • Every year thousands of ragweed and groundsel seeds must be blown on to the shale-heap, but they never manage to grow there.

    The Romance of Plant Life | G. F. Scott Elliot

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