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• woodruff
  woodruff

  noun

  any of several plants belonging to the genus Asperula or Galium, of the madder family, as G. odoratum sweet woodruff, a fragrant plant with small white flowers.
• Woodruff
  Woodruff

  noun

  Hiram, 1817–67, Canadian driver, trainer, and breeder of harness-racing horses.

woodruff

¹ American  

[wood-ruhf, -ruhf] / ˈwʊd rəf, -ˌrʌf /

noun

1. any of several plants belonging to the genus Asperula or Galium, of the madder family, as G. odoratum sweet woodruff, a fragrant plant with small white flowers.

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Woodruff ² American  

[wood-ruhf] / ˈwʊd rəf /

noun

1. Hiram, 1817–67, Canadian driver, trainer, and breeder of harness-racing horses.

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woodruff British  

/ ˈwʊdrʌf /

noun

1. any of several rubiaceous plants of the genus Galium , esp G. odoratum ( sweet woodruff ), of Eurasia, which has small sweet-scented white flowers and whorls of narrow fragrant leaves used to flavour wine and liqueurs and in perfumery

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Etymology

Origin of woodruff

before 1000; Middle English woderove, Old English wudurofe, wudurife, equivalent to wudu wood ¹ + -rofe, -rife, element of uncertain meaning; compare German Rübe carrot

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

woodruff Woodruff

Pentire also makes botanical, non-alcoholic spirits which don‘t fall into traditional booze categories. Their Seaward boasts “bright, zesty and verdant” flavors, with ingredients like sea rosemary, woodruff, sea buckhorn and pink grapefruit.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 28, 2023

Valued for its lasting fragrance, sweet woodruff is used commercially in perfumes and natural potpourris.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2023

In the garden or when freshly picked, sweet woodruff has little to no scent.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2023

This was followed by birch ice cream under white slices of raw pine mushrooms and woodruff leaves, an odd, herbaceous and unexpectedly stirring combination.

From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2016

In a ditch, of this marshy meadow was a great bunch of woodruff, above whose green whorls the white flowers were lifted.

From Round About a Great Estate by Richard Jefferies

“That guy could have made a lot of money somewhere else,” said pitcher Brandon Woodruff, the only current player who has been on the Brewers longer than Yelich.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

“It felt like a home game,” veteran pitcher Brandon Woodruff said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

In all, the Interior Department denied 78 financial assistance requests from the Great Basin Institute totaling more than $12.7 million, according to a letter from Chief Executive Peter Woodruff appealing the denials.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Hopeful return: Brandon Woodruff, one of the best starters in baseball when healthy, is rehabbing from shoulder inflammation that sidelined him in July.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

So what I did was, I went down the hail and woke up Frederick Woodruff, this guy I'd lent my typewriter to.

From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger

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