hogweed

American  

[hawg-weed, hog-] / ˈhɔgˌwid, ˈhɒg- /

noun

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

2. giant hogweed.

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hogweed British  

/ ˈhɒɡˌwiːd /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of hogweed

First recorded in 1700–10; hog + weed ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hogweed

Government advice around contact with giant hogweed is to cover any affected skin immediately, wash with cold water and avoid exposure in the sun.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Gummer says the support she received from people across Northern Ireland helped her run through the pain caused by the giant hogweed burns.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

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

He walked up the heath’s western edge, beside a fringe of scrub where hogweed grew in tangles and brambles rose taller than him.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 5, 2020

“You can see that everywhere; and these bluebell-harebell-campanula things, and the dandelion blossoms, and the whortleberry and hogweed and wild parsley stuff: you see them all at home.”

From The Crystal Hunters A Boy's Adventures in the Higher Alps by Burton, Frederic William