yew

¹

[ yoo ]

noun

1. 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.
2. the fine-grained, elastic wood of any of these trees.
3. an archer's bow made of this wood.
4. this tree or its branches as a symbol of sorrow, death, or resurrection.

yew

²

[ yoo; unstressed yoo ]

pronoun

, Eye Dialect.

1. you.

yew

/ juː /

noun

1. 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
2. the wood of any of these trees, used to make bows for archery
3. archery a bow made of yew

Word History and Origins

Origin of yew¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of yew¹

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

Example Sentences

When it was announced on 7 October that the hospice in Yew Tree Lane, West Derby, would have to close, several affected families spoke of their devastation.

From BBC

Both men are sons of the revered leader Lee Kuan Yew who died in 2015.

From BBC

The Lees' years-long dispute over their family home began with the death of Lee Kuan Yew, the country's first prime minister and widely considered the architect of modern Singapore.

From BBC

"Avoiding the fate of the Soviet Union has long been a key concern for China's leaders," said Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.

From BBC

"I was born in Australia but my parents are originally from the Philippines," says Saki Yew, who now lives in Manchester.

From BBC