Word
yew
US/ˈju/
UK/jˈuː/
Definition
n. a type of evergreen tree with dark green needles and red berries. These trees can live for hundreds of years and are often found in old churchyards.
n. any of various evergreen coniferous trees or shrubs of the genus Taxus, characterised by needle-like leaves and fleshy red arils. Often associated with longevity and historical sites; the wood is traditionally valued for its strength and elasticity.
Examples
“The old yew tree stands in the middle of the garden.”
“Ancient yew trees are a common sight in British churchyards, with some specimens estimated to be over a thousand years old.”
“The longbowmen of medieval England relied on the dense, flexible wood of the yew to construct weapons capable of piercing heavy plate armour at significant distances.”
Examples
simple
“The old yew tree stands in the middle of the garden.”
contextual
“Ancient yew trees are a common sight in British churchyards, with some specimens estimated to be over a thousand years old.”
complex
“The longbowmen of medieval England relied on the dense, flexible wood of the yew to construct weapons capable of piercing heavy plate armour at significant distances.”
Usage
Countable when referring to a specific tree or species; uncountable when referring to the wood as a material.
Real-World Examples
“In his possession was one of the oldest copper axes ever found—a 99.7-percent pure copper blade, with a handle made from yew.” Etymology
From Middle English ew, from Old English īw, ēow, [both cognates of Welsh yw (“yews”), Irish eo, Old Irish eó respectively]; although the Old English form was conjectured to be from Proto-West Germanic īhu, from Proto-Germanic īhwaz (compare Icelandic ýr), masculine variant of īwō (compare Dutch ijf, German Eibe), from Proto-Indo-European h₁eyHw-. See also Hittite 𒄑𒂊𒅀𒀭 (eyan, “type of evergreen”), Latgalian īva (“bird cherry”), Lithuanian ievà (“bird cherry”), Russian и́ва (íva, “willow”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
hold yew hard — Wait for a moment. Be patient.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/yew