hogweed

American

[hawg-weed, hog-] / ˈhɔgˌwid, ˈhɒg- /

noun

any coarse weed with composite flower heads, especially the cow parsnip.
giant hogweed.

hogweed British

/ ˈhɒɡˌwiːd /

noun

any of several coarse weedy umbelliferous plants, esp cow parsnip See also giant hogweed

"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

Etymology

Origin of hogweed

First recorded in 1700–10; hog + weed ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It is often confused with its native relative, the common hogweed.

From BBC • Jul. 10, 2023

Among other new eight-letter words, the kind that help players clear their seven-tile racks for 50 extra points: hogsbane, more commonly known as giant hogweed.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2022

Originally from the mountains of Central Asia, giant hogweed made its debut in New York about 100 years ago as a dramatic ornamental plant.

From Washington Post • Jun. 10, 2013

The skeletal remains of hogweed or a velvet shank fungus erupting from the base of a tree can be given a magical crystalline crust that elevates your image from the ordinary to the spectacular.

From The Guardian • Dec. 2, 2010

Coming home we alighted from the trap to gather hogweed for the rabbits.

From The Diary of a Goose Girl by Shepperson, Claude A.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023