woad
Americannoun
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a European plant, Isatis tinctoria, of the mustard family, formerly cultivated for a blue dye extracted from its leaves.
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the dye extracted from this plant.
noun
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a European plant, Isatis tinctoria, formerly cultivated for its leaves, which yield a blue dye: family Brassicaceae (crucifers) See also dyer's-weed dyer's rocket
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the dye obtained from this plant, used esp by the ancient Britons, as a body dye
Etymology
Origin of woad
before 1000; Middle English wode, Old English wād (cognate with German Waid ); akin to French guède, Medieval Latin waizda < Germanic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The flax and woad were grown and turned into linen and dye by a fashion collaborative called Homegrown Homespun.
From BBC • Oct. 13, 2021
Plants targeted in the weed purges include Dalmatian toadflax, dyer’s woad and houndstongue.
From Washington Times • May 11, 2018
The family imported herring and woad in large enough quantities to buy an existing estate and win a kind of ersatz ennoblement.
From The New Yorker • Jan. 8, 2017
“I wonder you don’t just set fire to the Abbey and dance ‘round it, painted with woad and howling,” retorted Lady Violet, scoring early points.
From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2014
There, gently patting earth around the moist roots, she planted the woad.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
