weed

¹

[ weed ]

noun

1. a valueless plant growing wild, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop.
2. any undesirable or troublesome plant, especially one that grows profusely where it is not wanted:

   The vacant lot was covered with weeds.

3. Informal. a cigarette or cigar.
4. Slang. a marijuana cigarette.
5. a thin, ungainly person or animal.
6. a wretched or useless animal, especially a horse unfit for racing or breeding purposes.
7. the weed,
   1. Informal. tobacco.
   2. Slang. marijuana.

verb (used with object)

1. to free from weeds or troublesome plants; root out weeds from:

   to weed a garden.

2. to root out or remove (a weed or weeds), as from a garden (often followed by out ):

   to weed out crab grass from a lawn.

3. to remove as being undesirable, inefficient, or superfluous (often followed by out ):

   to weed out inexperienced players.

4. to rid (something) of undesirable or superfluous elements.

verb (used without object)

1. to remove weeds or the like.

weed

²

[ weed ]

noun

1. weeds, mourning garments:

   widow's weeds.

2. a mourning band of black crepe or cloth, as worn on a man's hat or coat sleeve.
3. Often weeds. Archaic.
   1. a garment:

      clad in rustic weeds.

   2. clothing.

Weed

³

[ weed ]

noun

1. Thur·low [thur, -loh], 1797–1882, U.S. journalist and politician.

weed

¹

/ wiːd /

noun

1. rare.
   a black crepe band worn to indicate mourning See also weeds

weed

²

/ wiːd /

noun

1. any plant that grows wild and profusely, esp one that grows among cultivated plants, depriving them of space, food, etc
2. slang.
   1. tobacco
   2. marijuana
3. informal.
   a thin or unprepossessing person
4. an inferior horse, esp one showing signs of weakness of constitution

verb

1. to remove (useless or troublesome plants) from (a garden, etc)

Derived Forms

• ˈweedless, adjective
• ˈweeder, noun
• ˈweedˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• weedless adjective
• weedlike adjective
• un·weeded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of weed¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English wed(e), weid, Old English wēod; cognate with Old Saxon wiod “weed,” Middle Dutch wiet “fern”

Origin of weed²

First recorded before 900; Middle English wed(e), Old English (ge)wǣde, wǣde “garment, clothing”; cognate with Old Saxon wād, gewādi, Old High German wāt, gewāti; wadmal

Word History and Origins

Origin of weed¹

Old English wǣd, wēd; related to Old Saxon wād, Old High German wāt, Old Norse vāth

Origin of weed²

Old English weod; related to Old Saxon wiod, Old High German wiota fern

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. (deep) in / into the weeds, Slang. Also in deep weeds.
   1. (of a restaurant worker) overwhelmed and falling behind in serving customers:

      Our waitress was so deep in the weeds that we waited 40 minutes for our burgers.

   2. in trouble; overwhelmed by problems:

      He knows our marriage is in deep weeds.

   3. involved in the details:

      I’m in the weeds of planning my wedding.

Example Sentences

Still, there are ways Trump could weed out other government workers, including by making the job and surrounding environment more unpleasant, like by freezing hiring and requesting cuts to employee training and travel funds in the annual budget.

From Slate

While selling drugs online is far from new — in fact, the very first thing bought and sold on the Internet was a bag of weed — no nation has so wholeheartedly embraced e-shopping for their preferred pick-me-ups as the Russians.

From Salon

“We spent the night, we did drugs together and something intimate happened,” Paiz said, noting that while he stuck to weed, Payne was allegedly doing cocaine.

From Los Angeles Times

It was a warm October evening and the swaths of black mustard weed on the trail had completely dried up, leaving the towering stalks spindly and bare.

From Los Angeles Times

To know that after heavy January rains, inevitably there will be a deep, V-shaped rut along the center of the trailhead, like a voracious alien mouth; or that in late May the mustard weed will be so wildly overgrown and bushy that it will completely swallow up the trailhead sign, post and all; or that for a brief window in late October-early November, two pink silk floss trees will bloom the color of bubble gum just below the Vista Del Valle lookout point.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• drag
• haul
• pick
• pluck
• remove
• rip
• stretch
• take out
• tear
• tow
• trail
• tug
• yank