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

His other concern centred on the lack of notices in the park "warning of the poisonous nature of the yew tree, and risks of eating its berries and leaves".

From BBC

The Fens of eastern England, a low-lying, extremely flat landscape dominated by agricultural fields, was once a vast woodland filled with huge yew trees, according to new research.

From Science Daily

For an informal garden composition, place the yew off-center, flanked by the abelia to one side.

From Seattle Times

The owner of a former village chapel has been fined after removing historic yew trees without permission.

From BBC

Still, Christmas trees sprayed with pesticides or other chemical compounds are dangerous to consume, and yew trees, which some people purchase during Christmas, are poisonous.

From Washington Post