weed

¹

[weed]

noun

1. a valueless plant growing wild, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop.

2. any undesirable or troublesome plant, especially one that grows profusely where it is not wanted.

   The vacant lot was covered with weeds.

3. Informal.,  a cigarette or cigar.

4. Slang.,  a marijuana cigarette.

5. a thin, ungainly person or animal.

6. a wretched or useless animal, especially a horse unfit for racing or breeding purposes.

7. the weed,

   1. Informal.,  tobacco.

   2. Slang.,  marijuana.

verb (used with object)

1. to free from weeds or troublesome plants; root out weeds from.

   to weed a garden.

2. to root out or remove (a weed or weeds), as from a garden (often followed byout ).

   to weed out crab grass from a lawn.

3. to remove as being undesirable, inefficient, or superfluous (often followed byout ).

   to weed out inexperienced players.

4. to rid (something) of undesirable or superfluous elements.

verb (used without object)

1. to remove weeds or the like.

weed

²

[weed]

noun

1. weeds, mourning garments.

   widow's weeds.

2. a mourning band of black crepe or cloth, as worn on a man's hat or coat sleeve.

3. Archaic.,  Often weeds

   1. a garment.

      clad in rustic weeds.

   2. clothing.

Weed

³

[weed]

noun

1. Thurlow 1797–1882, U.S. journalist and politician.

weed

¹

/ wiːd /

noun

1. any plant that grows wild and profusely, esp one that grows among cultivated plants, depriving them of space, food, etc

2. slang

   1. tobacco

   2. marijuana

3. informal,  a thin or unprepossessing person

4. an inferior horse, esp one showing signs of weakness of constitution

verb

1. to remove (useless or troublesome plants) from (a garden, etc)

weed

²

/ wiːd /

noun

1. rare,  a black crepe band worn to indicate mourning See also weeds

Other Word Forms

• weedless adjective
• weeder noun
• weedlike adjective
• unweeded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of weed¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English wed(e), weid, Old English wēod; cognate with Old Saxon wiod “weed,” Middle Dutch wiet “fern”

Origin of weed²

First recorded before 900; Middle English wed(e), Old English (ge)wǣde, wǣde “garment, clothing”; cognate with Old Saxon wād, gewādi, Old High German wāt, gewāti; wadmal

Word History and Origins

Origin of weed¹

Old English weod; related to Old Saxon wiod, Old High German wiota fern

Origin of weed²

Old English wǣd, wēd; related to Old Saxon wād, Old High German wāt, Old Norse vāth

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. (deep) in / into the weeds, Also in deep weeds

   1. (of a restaurant worker) overwhelmed and falling behind in serving customers.

      Our waitress was so deep in the weeds that we waited 40 minutes for our burgers.

   2. in trouble; overwhelmed by problems.

      He knows our marriage is in deep weeds.

   3. involved in the details.

      I’m in the weeds of planning my wedding.

Example Sentences

One of its common names, Jimson Weed, refers to Jamestown, where visiting British forces mistakenly ate the weed in a salad and spent 11 days in a stupefied delirium.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

MacPhail, Reiland and other trail stewards whack weeds and trim branches year-round and consider their local knowledge to be an advantage on challenge day.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Casting Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, stars of the goofball comedy “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” in Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” sounds like an idea dreamed up by undergraduate theater nerds smoking strong weed.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The treed “Woodland Garden” to the west, with black tupelo and swamp white oaks, gives way to a “Perennial Meadow,” whose asters, purple beebalms and orange butterfly weed were chosen for their chromatic effect.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Inspired by nature, her abstract forms look like extraterrestrial corals, otherworldly weeds and rare gemstones from far off planets.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• drag 
• haul 
• pick 
• pluck 
• remove 
• rip 
• stretch 
• take out 
• tear 
• tow 
• trail 
• tug 
• yank