woad

[ wohd ]

noun

1. a European plant, Isatis tinctoria, of the mustard family, formerly cultivated for a blue dye extracted from its leaves.
2. the dye extracted from this plant.

woad

/ wəʊd /

noun

1. a European plant, Isatis tinctoria, formerly cultivated for its leaves, which yield a blue dye: family Brassicaceae (crucifers) See also dyer's-weed dyer's rocket
2. the dye obtained from this plant, used esp by the ancient Britons, as a body dye

Word History and Origins

Origin of woad¹

before 1000; Middle English wode, Old English wād (cognate with German Waid ); akin to French guède, Medieval Latin waizda < Germanic

Word History and Origins

Origin of woad¹

Old English wād; related to Old High German weit; Middle Dutch wēd, Latin vitrum

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, the woad leaves were heated and then cooled in water to create natural indigo dye to colour the linen blue.

From BBC

The jeans are made from flax and woad planted on unused ground along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

From BBC

"Cheaper plant substitutes, such as madder or woad, did not come around until the Middle Ages, so until that time Murex purple was the only source."

From Fox News

Dyer’s woad, a knee-high weed from Russia that lights up roadsides with golden blossoms across the West, is a case study of how dogs can eradicate invasives that elude human crews.

From Washington Times

The teeth in their sockets like dental molds, the crude tattoos etched in some homebrewed woad faded in the beggared sunlight.

From Literature