yew

¹

[yoo]

noun

1. any of several evergreen, coniferous trees and shrubs of the genera Taxus and Torreya, constituting the family Taxaceae, of the Old World, North America, and Japan, having needlelike or scalelike foliage and seeds enclosed in a fleshy aril.

2. the fine-grained, elastic wood of any of these trees.

3. an archer's bow made of this wood.

4. this tree or its branches as a symbol of sorrow, death, or resurrection.

yew

²

[yoo, yoo]

pronoun

Eye Dialect.

1. you.

yew

/ juː /

noun

1. any coniferous tree of the genus Taxus, of the Old World and North America, esp T. baccata, having flattened needle-like leaves, fine-grained elastic wood, and solitary seeds with a red waxy aril resembling berries: family Taxaceae

2. the wood of any of these trees, used to make bows for archery

3. archery a bow made of yew

Word History and Origins

Origin of yew¹

before 900; Middle English ew ( e ), Old English ēow, ī ( o ) w; cognate with Old High German īga, īwa ( Middle High German īwe, German Eibe ), Old Norse ýr, MIr eó yew ( Old Irish: stem, shaft), Welsh ywen yew tree, Russian íva willow

Word History and Origins

Origin of yew¹

Old English īw; related to Old High German īwa, Old Norse ӯr yew, Latin ūva grape, Russian iva willow

Example Sentences

"There are yew trees in this country that are older than Stonehenge – nobody would ever contemplate not protecting Stonehenge so why would a living thing that's older than Stonehenge not receive some protection?"

From BBC

His father was unaware that the berries were toxic and the coroner said the local authority's neighbourhood manager for environmental health was also unaware that yew trees were poisonous.

From BBC

The Fens of eastern England, a low-lying, extremely flat landscape dominated by agricultural fields, was once a vast woodland filled with huge yew trees, according to new research.

From Science Daily

For an informal garden composition, place the yew off-center, flanked by the abelia to one side.

From Seattle Times

The owner of a former village chapel has been fined after removing historic yew trees without permission.

From BBC