(countable) A species of coniferous tree,Taxus baccata, with dark-green flat needle-like leaves and seeds bearing redarils, native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia.
OldYew, which graspest at the stones That name the under-lying dead, Thy fibres net the dreamless head, Thy roots are wrapt about the bones.
1940, Rosetta E. Clarkson,Green Enchantments: The Magic Spell of Gardens, The Macmillan Company, page273:
Have a tree or two the witches particularly like, such as the alder, larch, cypress and hemlock; then, to counteract any possible evil effects, there must be a holly,yew, hazel, elder, mountain ash or juniper.
1980,AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page119:
At Darley Dale, in Derbyshire, there is anotheryew about 1,000 years younger with a 32 ft girth, while a mightyyew at Goudhurst, Kent, has a bench seating 12 in its hollow trunk.
1786,Francis Grose, “Of Offensive Arms, or Weapons”, inA Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons,[…], London:[…] S. Hooper,[…],→OCLC,pages37–38:
To prevent a too great conſumption ofyew, bowyers were directed to make four bows of witch-haſel, aſh or elm, to one ofyew, and no perſon under ſeventeen years of age, unleſs poſſeſſed of moveables worth forty marks, or the ſon of parents having an eſtate of ten pounds per annum might ſhoot in anyew bow, under a penalty of 6s. 8d.
2012 July 1, T.L. Stanley, “No more crimes for her to solve”, inLos Angeles Times[2]:
A spinoff, “Major Crimes,” starring “Battlestar Galactica” veteran Mary McDonnell and a number of “Closer” cast members, premieres in August. Sedgwick won’t be among them, swapping Brenda’s syrupy “thankyew” for an upbeat “buh-bye now” to her co-workers.
Kathleen A. Browne (1927), “THE ANCIENT DIALECT OF THE BARONIES OF FORTH AND BARGY, COUNTY WEXFORD.”, inJournal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of lreland (Sixth Series)[3], volume17, number 2, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, page134
Taxus baccata on Wikipedia.Wikipedia