Forms: 5 wyrmwode, 5–6 worm(e)wod(e, 6 wormwodd, worme-, woormewoodde, wourmewodde, 6–7 -wood(e, 6– wormwood. [Altered f. WERMOD, as if f. WORM sb. + WOOD sb.1]
1. The plant Artemisia Absinthium, proverbial for its bitter taste. The leaves and tops are used in medicine as a tonic and vermifuge, and for making vermouth and absinthe; formerly also to protect clothes and bedding from moths and fleas, and in brewing ale. It yields a dark green oil.
a. 1400–50. Stockh. Med. MS., 11. For to makyn surripe of violet; it. of wormwode.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 530/1. Wyrmwode, herbe, absinthium.
1486. Bk. St. Albans, Hawking, c v. A medecyne for an hawke that hath mites. Take the Iuce of wormewode and put it ther thay be and thei shall dye.
1573. in Gage, Hengrave (1822), 201. For wormewoode to lay amongst the bedding at Coleman Streete, xijd.
1573–80. Tusser, Husb. (1878), 123. Where chamber is sweeped, and wormwood is strowne, no flea for his life dare abide to be knowne.
1592. Shaks., Rom. & Jul., I. iii. 30. When it did tast the Worme-wood on the nipple of my Dugge, and felt it bitter.
1610. Beaum. & Fl., Faithf. Shepherdess, II. ii. D 1 b. These for frenzy be A speedy and a soueraigne remedie, The bitter Wormewood, Sage and Marigold.
1626. Middleton, Anything for Quiet Life, II. i. He burnt wormwood in’t, to kill the fleas i’ the rushes.
1807. Crabbe, Par. Reg., I. 628. And Artemisia grows, where Wormwood grew.
1855. Delamer, Kitchen Garden (1861), 140. Wormwood gives its flavour to the ‘purl’ of the English workman.
1899. Bridges, Idle Flowers, xv. Ragwort and stiff Wormwood And straggling Mignonette.
b. With qualifying word, designating species of Artemisia and some similar plants; as
† French wormwood, A. gallica or A. Santonica; † Holy w., A. Santonica; Pontic, Roman w., A. pontica or A. Absinthium; Sea w., A. maritima; Tree w., A. arborescens of the Mediterranean. Also Roman w., Ambrosia artemisiæfolia; Wild w., Parthenium Hysterophorus.
1548. Turner, Names of Herbes, 7. Wormwod pontike … in englishe maye be also called wormwod gentle. Ibid., 8. Absinthium santonicum … may be called in englishe frenche wormwod. Ibid. Frenche wormwod is weaker then Sea wormwod is. Ibid. (1551), Herbal, I. A iiij. Ponticum absinthium … maye be named in english, wormwode gentle or wormwode Romane, Wormwode pontyke.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, I. ii. 5. The second kinde of Wormwood is called … in Latine Seriphium, and Absynthium Marinum.… In English Sea wormwood. Ibid., 6. Santoni wormwood, or French wormwood.
1597. Gerarde, Herbal, II. ccccxxxiii. 940. It is called in English small leafed Wormwood, Romaine Wormwood, garden or Cypres Wormwood, and French Wormwood. Ibid., II. ccccxxxv. 941. Holie Wormwood … called Sementina and Semen sanctum … beareth that seede which we haue in vse, called Wormseede. Ibid., II. ccccxxxvi. 943. Absinthium arborescens. Tree Wormwood.
1696. Sloane, Catal. Plantarum Jamaica, 127. Artemisia humilior flore majore albo…. Wild Wormwood.
1721. Queen’s Closet, 10. To make Syrup of Wormwood. Take Roman Wormwood, or Pontick Wormwood, half a Pound.
1731. Miller, Gard. Dict., s.v. Absinthium, The Roman and Sea Wormwoods are great Creepers at the Root…. The Tree Wormwood rises to be a Shrub five or six Foot high.
1760. J. Lee, Introd. Bot., App. 332. Wormwood, Wild, Parthenium.
1854. Thoreau, Walden, xiv. (1886), 261. It was overrun with Roman wormwood and beggar-ticks.
1864. Grisebach, Flora W. Ind. Isl., 789. Wormwood, wild, Parthenium Hysterophorus.
allusively. 1672. R. Wild, Poet. Licent., 27. This bitter Cup hath Roman Wormwood in ’t.
c. Salt of wormwood, an impure carbonate of potash, obtained from the ashes of wormwood.
1617. Woodall, Surg. Mate, Wks. (1639), 209. The salt of wormwood is esteemed hot and dry like the hearb.
1666. Wood, Life (O. H. S.), II. 95. Salt of wormwood and juyce of lemmon.
1756. F. Home, Exper. Bleaching, 277. To four pints of lime-water … I added 20 gr. of salt of wormwood.
1789. W. Buchan, Dom. Med., xiv. (1790), 153. An ounce of the bark … with an equal quantity of salt of wormwood.
1866. Treas. Bot., 95/1.
2. fig. An emblem or type of what is bitter and grievous to the soul.
1535. Coverdale, Deut. xxix. 18. Lest there be amonge you some rote, that beareth gall & wormwodd. Ibid., Amos v. 7. Ye turne the lawe to wormwod. Ibid., vi. 12. Ye haue turned true iudgment in to bytternesse, and the frute of rightuousnesse in to wormwod.
1555. Eden, Decades (Arb.), 90. But … amonge his soo many prosperous, pleasaunte, and luckye affayres, fortune mengeled sume seedes of wormewoodde, and corrupted his pure corne with the malicious weedes of coccle.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., V. ii. 857. To weed this Wormewood from your fruitfull braine.
1593. G. Harvey, New Let. Notable Cont., Wks. (Grosart), I. 285. Conuerting the wormewood of iust offence into the angelica of pure attonement.
1594. Nashe, Unfort. Trav., F 4. Too much gall dyd that wormwood of Gibeline wittes put in his inke.
1617. J. Taylor (Water P.), London to Hamburgh, C 4 b. All his sugred sweet promises, were in the proofe but Gall and wormwood in the performance.
1622. Bacon, Hen. VII., 209. These two Persons … turned Law and Iustice into Woorme-wood and Rapine.
1628. Ford, Lover’s Mel., II. ii. (1629), 33. Mel. Ha, ha, ha. Rhe. There’s wormewood in that laughter.
1632. Lithgow, Trav., III. 107. Venemous also is the Wormewood of his braine.
1633. G. Herbert, Temple, Repentance, iv. Sweeten at length this bitter bowl, Which thou hast pour’d into my soul; Thy wormwood turn to health.
1641. Milton, Animadv., Wks. 1851, III. 232. It had beene happy for this land, if your priests had beene but onely wooden; all England knowes they have been to this Iland not wood, but wormewood.
1691. Hartcliffe, Virtues, 239. Thus Judgment is turned into Wormwood: for it is embittered by injustice, and delays make it sour.
1852. Mrs. Stowe, Uncle Tom’s C., iii. 13. My life is bitter as wormwood.
b. To be wormwood (or gall and wormwood): to be acutely mortifying or vexing (to a person).
1809. Malkin, Gil Blas, XII. x. (Rtldg.), 435. The accounts her ladyship brought from Madrid were wormwood to the duke.
1821. Scott, Kenilw., xl. His presence and his communications were gall and wormwood to his once partial mistress.
1856. R. A. Vaughan, Mystics (1860), II. VIII. iv. 51. It was wormwood to the proud spirit of Agrippa to be treated as a mere astrologer.
1898. F. T. Bullen, Cruise ‘Cachalot,’ 339. The sight of other people’s good fortune is gall and wormwood to a vast number of people.
3. Used as a name or specific epithet for certain moths.
1832. J. Rennie, Butterfl. & Moths, 91. The Wormwood (Cucullia Absinthii, Ochsenheimer). Ibid., 134. The Wormwood Pug (Eupithecia Absinthiata, Stephens). Ibid., 169. The Wormwood Eyelet (Semasia pupillana, Stephens).
1869. E. Newman, Brit. Moths, 136, 434.
4. Short for wormwood ale (see 5).
a. 1843. Southey, Comm.-pl. Bk., IV. 425. Oxford, All Souls…. Their silver cups … are called ox-eyes, and an ox-eye of wormwood was a favourite draught there. Beer with an infusion of wormwood was to be had nowhere else.
5. attrib. and Comb., as wormwood-bush, † -cake, -diet, -draught, -drink; wormwood-colo(u)red adj.; wormwood-ale, -beer, ale or beer in which wormwood is infused; wormwood coal (see quot.); wormwood water, wine, a cordial prepared (like absinthe or vermouth) from wormwood; also fig.
1603. *wormewoode ale [see w. beer].
1665. in Maitland Club Misc. (1840), II. 528. For wormewood aill and other aill in the morning 000 03 00.
1603. F. Hering, Cert. Rules, B 1 b. You may vse a good draught of *wormewoode beare or ale.
1718. Poor Robin, May A 8 b. Scurvy-grass Ale, clarified Whey, And Wormwood Beer are good they say.
1858. Lady Wilkinson, Weeds & Wild Flowers, 418. Purl, or wormwood-beer.
1851. Mayne Reid, Scalp Hunt., v. 38. I came opposite to a small clump of *wormwood bushes.
1658. W. M., Queens Closet Opened (ed. 4), 15. *Wormwood Cakes good for a cold Stomach, and to help Digestion.
1858. Lady Wilkinson, Weeds & Wild Flowers, 353. An old belief continues to be connected with the circumstance of the dead roots of wormwood being black, and somewhat hard, and remaining for a long period undecayed beneath the living plant. They are then called *‘wormwood coal’; and if placed under a lover’s pillow they are believed to produce a dream of the person he loves.
1816. Beckford’s Vathek (ed. Garnett), 72. He awoke … stung to the quick by *wormwood-coloured [1786 wormwood-colour] flies.
1655. Vaughan, Silex Scint., II. Providence, 46. Gladly will I, like Pontick sheep, Unto their *wormwood-diet keep.
1750. Lady Luxborough, Lett. to Shenstone, 9 Sept. I have a return of my fever to-day; and take *wormwood-draughts.
1658. in 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., App. V. 6. [Let it] be celebrated with cow-heeles, and tripes, the keenest mustard, and the bitterest *wormewood drinke.
1612. Webster, White Devil, V. vi. 5. Vit. Ha, are you drunke? Flam. Yes, yes, with *wormewood water; you shall tast Some of it presently.
1620. Venner, Via Recta, ii. 45. I aduise them to take two or three parts of wormwood-water, and one of Aqua vitæ.
1725. G. Smith, Distilling, 46. Wormwood-water is in good demand in the Country.
1832. G. Downes, Lett. Cont. Countries, I. 168. I was … attacked with a violent pain in my stomach, which yielded only to a strong dram of wormwood water (Eau d’ Absinthe).
1565. Cooper, Thesaurus, Absynthites … *wormewoodde wyne.
1587. Harrison, England, II. vi. (1877), 150. Artificiall stuffe, as ypocras and wormewood wine.
1617. Moryson, Itin., III. 81. In upper Germany, the first draught commonly is of wormewood wine.
1692. in Earthquake at Lima (1748), App. 328. This Gentleman … engaged me to take a Glass of Wormwood Wine with him, as a Whet before Dinner.
1806. J. Pinkerton, Recoll. Paris, II. xv. 208. A decanter of Jamaica rum, Wormwood wine, or that of Vermouth.
1844. J. C. Mangan, Love & Madness, Poems (1903), 323. Why must Medjnims evermore Drink their tears as wormwood wine?
b. fig. Attrib., passing into adj. = bitter, tart, unpleasant to experience. So also † wormwood lecture, a scolding or ‘talking to.’
1593. Shaks., Lucr., 893. Thy secret pleasure turnes to open shame,… Thy sugred tongue to bitter wormwood tast.
1601. B. Jonson, Poetaster, I. ii. An honest decayed commander, cannot skelder, cheat, nor be seene in a bawdie house, but he shall be straight in one of their wormewood comœdies.
1608. Day, Law Trickes, II. C 2 b. Trust me, loue hath kild That worme-wood humor.
1640. Womens Sharpe Revenge, 5. And now lately one or two of the sonnes of Ignorance have pen’d three severall … ill-favoured Pamphlets … called Lectures, as the Juniper Lecture, the Crabtree Lecture, and the Wormwood Lecture, wherein they have laid most false aspersions upon all women generally.
1678. Dryden, Kind Keeper, II. i. (1680), 14. I shall read him a Worm-wood Lecture, when I see him.
1682. M. Parker (title), A brief sum of certain wormwood lectures: Which women used to sing and say Unto their husbands every day.
1871. F. T. Palgrave, Lyr. Poems, 24. Clouding with wormwood drops the wine of life.
1895. G. P. Lathrop, in Month (B. C.), Jan., 6. Notwithstanding the wormwood memories of wrongs in the past.
1897. Hardy, Poems of Pilgrimage, Lausanne. Still rule those minds on earth At whom sage Milton’s wormwood words were hurled.
