wormwood
/ˈwəːmwʊd
/noun [mass noun]
1A woody shrub with a bitter aromatic taste, used as an ingredient of vermouth and absinthe and in medicine.
- Genus Artemisia, family Compositae: several species, in particular the Eurasian A. absinthium.
- Bitter herbs that would help would be gentian, artichoke, bitter orange, turmeric, wormwood and chamomile.
- Hemingway later blamed the damage on woodworm, a witty reference to absinthe's quasi - magical ingredient - wormwood.
2A state or source of bitterness or grief.The survivors of the 1996 election were relegated to a kind of mute opposition, forced to sip wormwood from the cup of their own brewing....
- To be sure, the morbidity has become less lush; it's been distilled into essence of wormwood.
Origin
Old English wermōd. The change in spelling in late Middle English was due to association with worm and wood. Compare with vermouth.