[worm.wood] n [ME wormwode, alter. of wermode, fr. OE wermod; akin to OHG wermuota wormwood] (15c) 1: artemisia; esp: a European plant (Artemisia absinthium) that has silvery silky-haired leaves and drooping yellow nearly globular flower heads and yields a bitter dark green oil used in absinthe
2: something bitter or grievous: bitterness