wort

¹ American  

[wurt, wawrt] / wɜrt, wɔrt /

noun

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

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wort ² American  

[wurt, wawrt] / wɜrt, wɔrt /

noun

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

   figwort.

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wort British  

/ wɜːt /

noun

1. (in combination) any of various unrelated plants, esp ones formerly used to cure diseases

   liverwort

   spleenwort

2. the sweet liquid obtained from the soaked mixture of warm water and ground malt, used to make a malt liquor

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Etymology

Origin of wort¹

before 1000; Middle English; Old English wyrt; cognate with German Würze spice; akin to wort ²

Origin of wort²

before 900; Middle English; Old English wyrt root, plant; cognate with Old High German wurz, Old Norse urt herb, Gothic waurts root; akin to root ¹, Old Norse rōt, Latin rādīx, Greek rhíza

Example Sentences

A solitary figure who preferred working alone and needed large doses of St. John’s wort to get through days when his studio buzzed with people.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 4, 2025

This boiling process helps to remove flavours the brewer does not want in the beer, before the wort is transferred to vessels to ferment with yeast, resulting in beer.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2024

The yeast breaks down the sugars in the wort, releasing carbon dioxide and ethanol.

From Salon • Dec. 13, 2023

As a result, people taking St. John’s wort might be more vulnerable to macular degeneration or even cataracts.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 19, 2023

He watched with a tired irony, leaving the wort to them.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White