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• woodruff
  woodruff

  noun

  any of several plants belonging to the genus Asperula or Galium, of the madder family, as G. odoratum sweet woodruff, a fragrant plant with small white flowers.
• Woodruff
  Woodruff

  noun

  Hiram, 1817–67, Canadian driver, trainer, and breeder of harness-racing horses.

woodruff

¹ American  

[wood-ruhf, -ruhf] / ˈwʊd rəf, -ˌrʌf /

noun

1. any of several plants belonging to the genus Asperula or Galium, of the madder family, as G. odoratum sweet woodruff, a fragrant plant with small white flowers.

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Woodruff ² American  

[wood-ruhf] / ˈwʊd rəf /

noun

1. Hiram, 1817–67, Canadian driver, trainer, and breeder of harness-racing horses.

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woodruff British  

/ ˈwʊdrʌf /

noun

1. any of several rubiaceous plants of the genus Galium , esp G. odoratum ( sweet woodruff ), of Eurasia, which has small sweet-scented white flowers and whorls of narrow fragrant leaves used to flavour wine and liqueurs and in perfumery

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Etymology

Origin of woodruff

before 1000; Middle English woderove, Old English wudurofe, wudurife, equivalent to wudu wood ¹ + -rofe, -rife, element of uncertain meaning; compare German Rübe carrot

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

woodruff Woodruff

Pentire also makes botanical, non-alcoholic spirits which don‘t fall into traditional booze categories. Their Seaward boasts “bright, zesty and verdant” flavors, with ingredients like sea rosemary, woodruff, sea buckhorn and pink grapefruit.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 28, 2023

Once flowering is over, sweet woodruff assumes a demure presence, growing 8 to 12 inches tall and as wide as you’ll allow.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2023

In the garden or when freshly picked, sweet woodruff has little to no scent.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2023

This was followed by birch ice cream under white slices of raw pine mushrooms and woodruff leaves, an odd, herbaceous and unexpectedly stirring combination.

From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2016

The morning breeze was fanning the rustling foliage; but the air, already warm, was loaded with the sweet perfumes of the ground-ivy, the honeysuckle, the woodruff, and the sweetbriars.

From The Man-Wolf and Other Tales by Erckmann-Chatrian

“That arm,” Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff said, “is a superpower.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

"It's like a crowded bar," said David Hu, a professor in Georgia Tech's George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Biological Sciences.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 22, 2026

Debt investors, however, may have been disappointed that Malave didn’t mention more debt paydowns in the near term, Woodruff said.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 2, 2025

Firefighters responded to a plane crash near Carson Street just east of Woodruff Avenue near Heartwell Park, around 4 p.m, according to a Long Beach Fire Department social media post.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2025

So what I did was, I went down the hail and woke up Frederick Woodruff, this guy I'd lent my typewriter to.

From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger