mugwort

American  

[muhg-wurt, -wawrt] / ˈmʌgˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt /

noun

mugworts plural

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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mugwort British  

/ ˈmʌɡˌwɜːt /

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mugworts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mugwort

before 1000; Middle English; Old English mucgwyrt. See midge, wort ²

Compare meaning

How does mugwort compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• mugwort vs. wormwood

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mugwort mugworts

After an explanation of the nervous system, consent and the pelvic floor, her sessions begin with McDaniel burning sage or mugwort while the client is on the table.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

Instead, cooks use fresh herbs—oregano, mint, and estafiate, a mugwort known for its digestive properties—to add flavor.

From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2023

According to NewsGuard, a search for “does mugwort induce abortion” resulted in more than a dozen false videos.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 28, 2022

However, today’s decision seems more likely to address videos promoting self-managed abortions with herbs like mugwort and pennyroyal, a practice many herbalists have warned is unreliable and can cause serious health problems.

From The Verge ● Jul. 21, 2022

Now he came out of a nearby clump of mugwort and flowering thistle and joined Hazel under the thorn.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Its naturally rich fields were grown up to scrub pines, mugworts and wormwood.

From Three Years in the Sixth Corps A Concise Narrative of Events in the Army of the Potomac, from 1861 to the Close of the Rebellion, April, 1865 by Stevens, George T.