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mugwort

[muhg-wurt, -wawrt]
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noun
  1. any of certain weedy composite plants of the genus Artemisia, especially A. vulgaris, having aromatic leaves and small, greenish flower heads.
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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

  • 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.

  • The Mugwort, or Wormwood as it is often called, is common all over the country.

  • Take three scruples each of mugwort, myrrh, gentian and pill.

  • Let her boil burnet, mugwort, feverfew and vervain in all her broths.

British Dictionary definitions for mugwort

mugwort

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

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

n.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper