| woad | 1. <botany> An herbaceous cruciferous plant (Isatis tinctoria). It was formerly cultivated for the blue colouring matter derived from its leaves. 2. A blue dyestuff, or colouring matter, consisting of the powdered and fermented leaves of the Isatis tinctoria. It is now superseded by indigo, but is somewhat used with indigo as a ferment in dyeing. "Their bodies . . . Painted with woad in sundry figures. <botany>" (Milton) Wild woad, the weld (Reseda luteola). See Weld. Woad mill, a mill grinding and preparing woad. Origin: OE. Wod, AS. Wad; akin to D. Weede, G. Waid, OHG. Weit, Dan. Vaid, veid, Sw. Veide, L. Vitrum Alternative forms: wad, and wade. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| woad-waxen | <botany> A leguminous plant (Genista tinctoria) of Europe and Russian Asia, and adventitious in America. Synonym: greenwood, greenweed, dyer's greenweed, and whin, wood-wash, wood-wax, and wood-waxen. Origin: Cf. Wood-wax. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| woaded | Coloured or stained with woad. "Man tattoed or woaded, winter-clad in skins." Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |