wych-hazel

Definitions

noun (Bot.) The wych-elm; -- so called because its leaves are like those of the hazel.

noun lotion consisting of an astringent alcoholic solution containing an extract from the witch hazel plant
noun any of several shrubs or trees of the genus Hamamelis; bark yields an astringent lotion

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word wych-hazel.

Irishman dwelling with Englishmen, was directed to have a bow of his own height made of yew, wych-hazel, ash, or awburne -- that is, laburnum, which is still styled "awburne saugh," or awburne willow, in many parts of Scotland.

The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 13, No. 369, May 9, 1829 Various
The wych-hazel has opened its husks, and the yellow flowers are dropping with the ripe nuts from the branches.

Rural Hours 1887
The long yellow petals have fallen from the wych-hazel; the nut is beginning to form, the heart slowly becoming a kernel, and the small yellow flower-cups turning gradually into the husk.

Rural Hours 1887
Still, this seems rather a yellow year; for the elms and hickories – which often wither and turn brown, without much beauty – are very handsome just now, in clear shades of yellow, fluttering in the breeze like gold-leaf; while the chestnuts, birches, wych-hazel, and many maples, as usual, wear the same colors.

Rural Hours 1887
The wych-hazel is in bloom; brown nuts and yellow flowers on the same twig.

Rural Hours 1887