yew

[ yoo ]

/ yu /

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.

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

Can be confusedewe yew you

yew

[ yoo; unstressed yoo ]

/ yu; unstressed yʊ /

pronoun Eye Dialect.

you.

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

Examples from the Web for yew

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
At my request, this young lydy will now perceed to assoom the yew and kimplexion of life itself.
Punch, Or The London Charivari, Vol. 99., October 25, 1890|Various
He'll come sure 'nuff, and say to yew: 'I wants your soul, Peter.
Furze the Cruel|John Trevena

Of the woods for self-bows, yew beyond all question carries off the palm.
The Theory and Practice of Archery|Horace Ford
Yew is an evergreen tree with a leaf looking a great deal like that of redwood, hemlock, or fir at a distance.
Hunting with the Bow and Arrow|Saxton Pope
I give instance, when we speak of the yew; and even that otherwise incomparably useful shrub, the elder.
Sylva, Vol. 1 (of 2)|John Evelyn

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

Word Origin and History for yew

yew

Old English iw, eow "yew," from Proto-Germanic *iwa-/*iwo- (cf. Middle Dutch iwe, Dutch ijf, Old High German iwa, German Eibe, Old Norse yr), from PIE *ei-wo- (cf. Old Irish eo, Welsh ywen "yew"), perhaps a suffixed form of *ei- "reddish, motley, yellow." OED says French if, Spanish iva, Medieval Latin ivus are from Germanic (and says Dutch ijf is from French); others posit a Gaulish ivos as the source of these. Lithuanian jeva likewise is said to be from Germanic. The tree symbolizes both death and immortality, being poisonous as well as long-lived.

yew

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of yew

yew

pronoun Eye Dialect.

Examples from the Web for yew

yew

noun

Word Origin for yew

yew