yew

Definitions

1. A species of coniferous tree, Taxus baccata, with dark-green flat needle-like leaves and seeds bearing red arils, native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia.
   countable
2. Any tree or shrub of the genus Taxus.
   broadly, countable
3. a shard, tile, quoit or similar object used in various games
4. shuffleboard or any of the games played using a shard or tile
5. Other conifers resembling plants in genus Taxus:
   countable, uncountable
6. in family Podocarpaceae.
   countable, uncountable
7. a traditional throwing sport in Colombia, throwing a metal puck/disc at small targets that contain gunpowder and explode on impact
8. in family Cephalotaxaceae.
   countable, uncountable
9. first-person singular present indicative of tejar
10. The wood of the such trees.
    uncountable
11. A bow for archery, made of yew wood.
    countable, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“Old Yew, which graspest at the stones ⁠That name⟳ the under-lying dead, ⁠Thy fibres net the dreamless head, Thy roots are wrapt about the bones.”

“Have⟳ a tree or two the witches particularly like⟳, such as the alder, larch, cypress and hemlock; then, to counteract any possible evil effects, there must be a holly, yew, hazel, elder, mountain ash or juniper.”

“At Darley Dale, in Derbyshire, there is another yew about 1,000 years younger with a 32 ft girth, while a mighty yew at Goudhurst, Kent, has a bench seating 12 in its hollow trunk.”

“To prevent⟳ a too great conſumption of yew, bowyers were directed to make⟳ four bows of witch-haſel, aſh or elm, to one of yew, and no perſon under ſeventeen years of age, unleſs poſſeſſed of moveables worth forty marks, or the ſon of parents having an eſtate of ten pounds per annum might ſhoot in an yew bow, under a penalty of 6s. 8d.”

CEFR level