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

A favorite shrub in our garden, as in every country dooryard, was southernwood, or lad's-love.

From Home Life in Colonial Days by Earle, Alice Morse

If fresh southernwood is added each time it passes through the linen, the composition will be improved.

From The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness A Complete Hand Book for the Use of the Lady in Polite Society by Hartley, Florence

John Trueman's cottage was a neat little place, standing in a garden, adorned with pinks and rosemary and southernwood.

From The Fairchild Family by Rudland, Florence M.

The following is recommended as an excellent Hair Oil:—Boil together half-a-pint of port wine, one pint and a-half of sweet oil, and half-a-pound of green southernwood.

From The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness A Complete Hand Book for the Use of the Lady in Polite Society by Hartley, Florence