# yew

Pronunciation: say "YOO" /juː/

## Noun

1. An evergreen coniferous tree or shrub of the genus Taxus, especially the European yew (Taxus baccata), with flat dark-green needle-like leaves and seeds enclosed in fleshy red arils.
   - Simple: An evergreen tree or bush with flat dark green needles and small red berries, often living for centuries.
   - _An old yew shades the churchyard, its dark needles thick even in winter._
   - _They planted a yew hedge along the edge of the garden._
2. The timber obtained from trees of the genus Taxus.
   - Simple: The hard, springy wood that comes from yew trees.
   - _Medieval craftsmen prized yew for longbows because it bends without snapping._
   - _The dark heartwood of yew polishes to a deep, warm glow._
5. Any of various other conifers that resemble the trees and shrubs of the genus Taxus without belonging to it.
   - Simple: Any of several other trees that look like yew trees but belong to a different group.
   - _The nursery sells an Asian yew from the genus Cephalotaxus that handles summer heat well._
   - _The yews lining the drive are podocarps from Japan, not members of the genus Taxus._

## Pronoun

3. Eye dialect spelling of you: the same pronoun, respelled to suggest a speaker's accent or drawl. — Eye dialect spelling of you.
   - Simple: Eye dialect spelling of you: the word you, spelled to show how a character talks.
   - _Now yew listen here, because I am only going to say this once._
   - _Where do yew think you're going this late?_

## Adjective

4. Made of or fashioned from yew wood.
   - Simple: Made out of wood that comes from a yew tree.
   - _The chapel's yew screen had darkened to a deep reddish brown._
   - _Antique yew furniture commands high prices at auction._

## Noun

6. A bow for archery, crafted from yew wood. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: A bow used in archery, made from the wood of the yew tree.

## Origin

From Middle English "ew", from Old English "īw" or "ēow", going back through Proto-Germanic *īhwaz to Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyHw-. It is related to words like Welsh "yw" (yews) and Irish "eo", and to Dutch "ijf" and German "Eibe".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/yew (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).