southernwood

American  

[suhth-ern-wood] / ˈsʌð ərnˌwʊd /

noun

1. a woody-stemmed wormwood, Artemisia abrotanum, of southern Europe, having aromatic, finely dissected leaves.

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southernwood British  

/ ˈsʌðənˌwʊd /

noun

1. Also called: old man.   lad's love.  an aromatic shrubby wormwood, Artemisia abrotanum, of S Europe, having finely dissected leaves and small drooping heads of yellowish flowers

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Etymology

Origin of southernwood

before 1000; Middle English southernwode, Old English sūtherne wudu. See southern, wood ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

southernwood

Sweet-briar and southernwood, jasmine, pink, and rose have long been yielding their evening sacrifice of incense: this new scent is neither of shrub nor flower; it is—I know it well—it is Mr. Rochester’s cigar.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Follows the prayer, the readin' next, An' than the fisslin' for the text— The twa-three last to find it, vext But kind o' proud; An' than the peppermints are raxed, An' southernwood.

From A Lowden Sabbath Morn by Stevenson, Robert Louis

They went into a parlour with its window open, upon the window-sill a pigeon mourning among pots of wallflowers and southernwood that filled the entering air with sweetness.

From Gilian The Dreamer His Fancy, His Love and Adventure by Munro, Neil

Indeed, the captain was so bitter against the South, that he had asked his aunt Madge if it was right to let southernwood grow in the garden.

From Captain Horace by May, Sophie

Philip felt that it was best to stop the car among the suburban groves of southernwood.

From The Magic City by Millar, H. R. (Harold Robert)