# wormwood

/ˈwɝmˌwʊd/ (US) · /wˈɜːmwʊd/ (UK) · CEFR C2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/wormwood
Updated: 2026-10-19

## Definition

a plant with grey-green leaves that tastes very bitter. People use it to flavour strong drinks like absinthe and in some herbal medicines.

For teachers: a bitter, aromatic plant of the genus Artemisia, especially Artemisia absinthium, used to flavour absinthe and vermouth and in traditional herbal remedies. In literary use, refers to bitterness or a source of deep sorrow.

## Examples

- This tea contains wormwood and tastes very bitter.
- The herbalist adds dried wormwood to the mixture to give the liqueur its sharp, bitter flavour.
- Once prized by apothecaries for its supposed power to expel intestinal parasites, wormwood now survives mainly as the defining bitterness in vermouth and as a metaphor for regret in older literature.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.