yew

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of several poisonous evergreen trees or shrubs of the genus Taxus, having scarlet cup-shaped arils and flat needles that are dark green above and yellowish below.
2. n. The wood of any of these trees, especially the durable, fine-grained wood of the Old World species Taxus baccata, used in cabinetmaking and for archery bows.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A tree of the genus Taxus, the common yew being T. baccata of temperate Europe and Asia. This is a slow-growing and long-lived evergreen of moderate height and spreading habit, with a thick irregular trunk and dark thick foliage. In Europe the yew has long been planted in graveyards. There are several dwarf, weeping, and variegated varieties. The golden yew has the edge of the leaves in spring of a bright-golden yellow. The Irish yew (var. fastigiata) has erect branches, and is more hardy than the typical form, which will not endure the winter in the northern United States. The wood of the yew is heavy, fine-grained, and elastic, and was formerly much used for bows, the supply being protected by government. It is considered a very choice cabinet-wood, the heart being of a fine orange-red or deep brown, and the sap-wood white. The leaves of the tree are poisonous.
2. n. The wood of the yew-tree.
3. n. A shooting-bow made of the wood of the yew.
4. n. A jug or jar having a handle extending over the mouth.
5. To rise as scum on brine in boiling; yaw.

Wiktionary

1. n. countable 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.
2. n. countable, by extension Any tree or shrub of the genus Taxus.
3. n. uncountable The wood of the yew.
4. adj. Made from the wood of the yew tree.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. See yaw.
2. n. (Bot.) An evergreen tree (Taxus baccata) of Europe, allied to the pines, but having a peculiar berrylike fruit instead of a cone. It frequently grows in British churchyards.
3. n. The wood of the yew. It is light red in color, compact, fine-grained, and very elastic. It is preferred to all other kinds of wood for bows and whipstocks, the best for these purposes coming from Spain.
4. n. A bow for shooting, made of the yew.
5. adj. Of or pertaining to yew trees; made of the wood of a yew tree.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. wood of a yew; especially the durable fine-grained light brown or red wood of the English yew valued for cabinetwork and archery bows
2. n. any of numerous evergreen trees or shrubs having red cup-shaped berries and flattened needlelike leaves