'American yew' definitions:

Definition of 'American yew'

From: GCIDE
  • Yew \Yew\, n. [OE. ew, AS. e['o]w, [imac]w, eoh; akin to D. ijf, OHG. [imac]wa, [imac]ha, G. eibe, Icel. [=y]r; cf. Ir. iubhar, Gael. iubhar, iughar, W. yw, ywen, Lith. j["e]va the black alder tree.] [1913 Webster]
  • 1. (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. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. 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. [1913 Webster]
  • Note: The American yew (Taxus baccata, var. Canadensis) is a low and straggling or prostrate bush, never forming an erect trunk. The California yew ({Taxus brevifolia}, also called Pacific yew) is a good-sized tree, and its wood is used for bows, spear handles, paddles, and other similar implements; the anticancer agent taxol is obtained from its bark. Another yew is found in Florida, and there are species in Japan and the Himalayas. [1913 Webster + PJC]
  • 3. A bow for shooting, made of the yew. [1913 Webster]