[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/yew/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [Y](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/y/) / yew

# yew

noun (a yew, yews; yew, uncountable for the wood)

«yew» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A yew is an evergreen tree with dark green, flat needles and red berry-like cones; it can live for a very long time. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Y/yew/#m1)
2. Yew is the hard, bendy wood of this tree, once used to make longbows. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Y/yew/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science and nature lessons, yews grow in churchyards and gardens in the UK and Ireland, and they are among the oldest living trees. Safety: almost all parts of the yew are very poisonous to people and animals, so never eat the seeds or leaves. In history, English archers' longbows were made of yew. Phrases: «yew tree», «yew hedge», «yew longbow».

### Examples

- An ancient yew tree grew in the churchyard. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Y/yew/#x1)
- Never eat yew berries; the seeds are poisonous. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Y/yew/#x2)
- The yew hedge was trimmed into neat shapes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Y/yew/#x3)
- Longbows were made from yew wood. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Y/yew/#x4)
- A yew stays green all winter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Y/yew/#x5)
- Some yews are more than a thousand years old. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Y/yew/#x6)
- As soon as the frog had recovered her senses she hopped up to the queen, who was still sitting under the yew. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Y/yew/#x7)

### Note

Countable for trees, uncountable for the wood. Homophones: «yew» sounds like «you» and «ewe» (a female sheep). The red fleshy part is called an aril; the seed inside is poisonous.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «yew» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/Y/yew/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«yew» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/yew.html) on Mova free.