yew

[ yoo ]

/ yu /

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noun

any of several evergreen, coniferous trees and shrubs of the genera Taxus and Torreya, constituting the family Taxaceae, of the Old World, North America, and Japan, having needlelike or scalelike foliage and seeds enclosed in a fleshy aril.

the fine-grained, elastic wood of any of these trees.

an archer's bow made of this wood.

this tree or its branches as a symbol of sorrow, death, or resurrection.

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Origin of yew

before 900; Middle English ew(e), Old English ēow, ī(o)w; cognate with Old High German īga, īwa (Middle High German īwe,German Eibe), Old Norse ýr, MIr eó yew (Old Irish: stem, shaft), Welsh ywen yew tree, Russian íva willow

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH yew

ewe, yew , you

Words nearby yew

yett, Yetta, yettie, yeuk, Yevtushenko, yew, yé-yé, Yeysk, Yezd, Yezidis, Y-fronts

Other definitions for yew (2 of 2)

yew²

[ yoo; unstressed yoo ]

/ yu; unstressed yʊ /

pronoun Eye Dialect.

you.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use yew in a sentence

The needles of the yew tree can kill you, but the bark is important for many modern drugs.
This Exhibit Could Kill You: The Museum of Natural History Takes on Poison|William O’Connor|January 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Enchanted Island of Yew by L. Frank Baum The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come by John Fox Jr.
American Dreams: ‘The Call of the Wild’ by Jack London|Nathaniel Rich|January 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The church is picturesquely situated on the hillside, with an avenue of fine yew trees leading from the gate to the door.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy
He pointed with his finger and from behind the old yew arbour came the shrill clamour of a little dog in agony.
Jaffery|William J. Locke

There were plenty of retired nooks under the shade of the yew-trees in the churchyard, where one could write.
The Daughters of Danaus|Mona Caird
The conversation generally turned upon his old “missus,” who was buried under a yew tree, near the wicket gate.
The Daughters of Danaus|Mona Caird
He must have slipped behind a ragged old yew which had once been clipped and trimmed to look like a chess-king.
The Talking Horse|F. Anstey

British Dictionary definitions for yew

yew

/ (juː) /

noun

any coniferous tree of the genus Taxus, of the Old World and North America, esp T. baccata, having flattened needle-like leaves, fine-grained elastic wood, and solitary seeds with a red waxy aril resembling berries: family Taxaceae

the wood of any of these trees, used to make bows for archery

archery a bow made of yew

Word Origin for yew

Old English īw; related to Old High German īwa, Old Norse ӯr yew, Latin ūva grape, Russian iva willow

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