mugwort

[muhg-wurt, -wawrt]

noun

any of certain weedy composite plants of the genus Artemisia, especially A. vulgaris, having aromatic leaves and small, greenish flower heads.

Origin of mugwort

before 1000; Middle English; Old English mucgwyrt. See midge, wort²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for mugwort

Historical Examples of mugwort

Among herbs, the mugwort is considered to be truly the oldest.
Aino Folk-Tales
Basil Hall Chamberlain
He had his cattle and his wild pot-herbs, such as the mugwort and the nettle.
Leading Articles on Various Subjects
Hugh Miller
The Mugwort, or Wormwood as it is often called, is common all over the country.
Flowers Shown to the Children
C. E. Smith
Take three scruples each of mugwort, myrrh, gentian and pill.
The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher
Anonymous
Let her boil burnet, mugwort, feverfew and vervain in all her broths.
The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher
Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for mugwort

mugwort

noun

a N temperate perennial herbaceous plant, Artemisia vulgaris, with aromatic leaves and clusters of small greenish-white flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)
another name for crosswort

Word Origin for mugwort

Old English mucgwyrt, perhaps from Old English mycg midge

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

Word Origin and History for mugwort

Old English mugcwyrt, literally "midge wort," from West Germanic *muggiwurti, from *muggjo- "fly" (see midge) + root of wort.