yarrow

Meaning

Noun

• Any of several pungent Eurasian and North American herbs, of the genus Achillea, used in traditional herbal medicine.
• Common yarrow, Achillea millefolium, the type species of the genus.
• The green woodpecker, Picus viridis.

Related

Similar words

• milfoil, achillea
• devil's nettle, sanguinary, soldier's woundwort, thousand-leaf

Narrower meaning words

• Alps yarrow, Achillea distans (species)
• Chinese yarrow, Achillea alpina (species)
• Egyptian yarrow, Achillea aegyptiaca (species)
• fernleaf yarrow, Achillea filipendulina (species)
• Ligurian yarrow, Achillea ligustica (species)
• noble yarrow, Achillea nobilis (species)
• Siberian yarrow, Achillea sibirica (species)

Origin

• From Middle English ȝarowe, yarowe, yarwe, from Old English ġearwe, from Proto-West Germanic *garwu ("yarrow, yarrow-like herbs"). Cognate with Dutch gerw and German Schafgarbe.
• Origin unknown. Perhaps imitative of the bird's cry; compare yaffle, hewhole.