Kew

American  

[kyoo] / kyu /

noun

1. a part of Richmond, in Greater London, England: famous botanical gardens KewGardens.

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Kew British  

/ kjuː /

noun

1. part of the Greater London borough of Richmond-upon-Thames, on the River Thames: famous for Kew Gardens (the Royal Botanic Gardens), established in 1759 and given to the nation in 1841

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Etymology

Origin of Kew

First recorded in 1310–50; Middle English Cayho; from Old French (Picardy) kay, kai “sand bank, landing place, wharf, quay” and Old English hōh “spur of land shaped like a heel” (formed there by a bend in the Thames)

Example Sentences

It comes after temperatures peaked at 26.6C at Kew Gardens, London, on Wednesday, making it the UK's warmest early April day in 80 years.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Working with Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, the University of Greenwich, and the Technical University of Denmark, the scientists engineered a diet that mimics the key nutrients bees normally get from pollen.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026

The line of protesters by a synagogue Thursday night in the Queens neighborhood of Kew Gardens told another.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

That information was later redacted from the file before it was made public at the National Archives in Kew, west London.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025

We turned the corner at Kew Gardens Drive just as the sun was setting.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor