definitions
  • synonyms

wort

1
[ wurt, wawrt ]
/ wɜrt, wɔrt /
|

noun

the unfermented or fermenting infusion of malt that after fermentation becomes beer or mash.

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Nearby words

worssett, worst, worst case, worst-case, worsted, wort, worth, worth one's salt, worth one's weight in gold, worth one's while, worthful

Origin of wort

1
before 1000; Middle English; Old English wyrt; cognate with German Würze spice; akin to wort2

Definition for wort (2 of 3)

wort

2
[ wurt, wawrt ]
/ wɜrt, wɔrt /

noun

a plant, herb, or vegetable (now usually used only in combination): figwort.

Origin of wort

2
before 900; Middle English; Old English wyrt root, plant; cognate with Old High German wurz, Old Norse urt herb, Gothic waurts root; akin to root1, Old Norse rōt, Latin rādīx, Greek rhíza

Definition for wort (3 of 3)

wort

3
[ wurt ]
/ wɜrt /

noun

whort.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wort

British Dictionary definitions for wort

wort

/ (wɜːt) /

noun

(in combination) any of various unrelated plants, esp ones formerly used to cure diseasesliverwort; spleenwort
the sweet liquid obtained from the soaked mixture of warm water and ground malt, used to make a malt liquor

Word Origin for wort

Old English wyrt root, related to Old High German warz, Gothic waurts root
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for wort

wort

n.

"a plant," Old English wyrt "root, herb," from Proto-Germanic *wurtiz (cf. Old Saxon wurt, Old Norse, Danish urt, Old High German wurz "plant, herb," German Wurz, Gothic waurts, Old Norse rot "root"), from PIE root *wrad- "twig, root" (see radish). St. John's wort attested from 15c.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper