knotweed

[not-weed]

noun

1. any of several knotty-stemmed plants belonging to the genus Polygonum, of the buckwheat family.

knotweed

/ ˈnɒtˌwiːd /

noun

1. any of several polygonaceous plants of the genus Polygonum, having small flowers and jointed stems

Word History and Origins

Origin of knotweed¹

First recorded in 1570–80; knot ¹ + weed ¹

Example Sentences

His body was found in a dense patch of Japanese Knotweed between the bottom of the garden and a rugby and cricket club.

Read more on BBC

One said the mayor "seems to promote himself every time there's a perceived crack in the wall… a bit like Japanese knotweed" and a government minister said there were a "few disgruntled MPs who make up the Burnham fan club" and the rest just wanted him to "focus on his actual job in Manchester".

Read more on BBC

"Our first priority is that our 72 MPs become like Japanese knotweed, you can't unroot them – why would you not do that? If all the MPs scurried off and immediately do stuff in Westminster and weren't paying attention to the church roofs, then that wouldn't work," says one MP.

Read more on BBC

The Money squad discusses the Chase infinite money TikTok craze, the “founder mode” craze, and the menace of Japanese knotweed.

Read more on Slate

And what’s Japanese knotweed, and why is it destroying Elizabeth’s house?

Read more on Slate