noun

meadowsweet

MED-oh-sweet

Quiz me More like this

Meadowsweet (noun) means a Eurasian perennial plant of the rose family with clusters of small, fragrant creamy-white flowers, traditionally used to flavour mead. Example: “Meadowsweet grows along the riverbank, filling the air with its sweet scent.”

noun

A Eurasian perennial plant of the rose family with clusters of small, fragrant creamy-white flowers, traditionally used to flavour mead.

"Meadowsweet grows along the riverbank, filling the air with its sweet scent."

"She picked a bunch of meadowsweet for the kitchen table."

"The hedgerow was thick with meadowsweet in early summer."

Any shrub of the genus Spiraea, native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere and grown widely as a garden plant.

"The gardener planted a row of meadowsweet shrubs along the fence."

"Several meadowsweet varieties flower in shades of pink and white."

How to use meadowsweet

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishMeadowsweet is a sweet-smelling flowering plant once used to flavour mead.

When to use it

It is a plain botanical and everyday name, equally at home in gardening talk and nature writing.

Memory tip

The word is both countable and uncountable, so you can say meadowsweet growing wild or several meadowsweets in a garden.

Trace the full origin ↓

Common pairings

a bunch of meadowsweet meadowsweet flowers a meadowsweet hedgerow

Vocabulary Flow

Build your vocabulary from words like meadowsweet.

Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.

Start vocabulary practice

C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

Test yourself on “meadowsweet” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

_____ grows along the riverbank, filling the air with its sweet scent.

Etymology

The name is a reshaping of the earlier phrase mead sweet, referring to the plant's traditional use in flavouring mead, the honey-based drink.

Origin: English

Rhymes for meadowsweet

yeet feet meet beet jeet geet weet sweet sheet sleet skeet fleet

See all rhymes for meadowsweet →

Frequently asked questions

What is meadowsweet used for?

It was traditionally used to flavour mead, and its flowers and scent are still valued in gardens and hedgerows.

Is meadowsweet the same as Spiraea?

The name covers both the Eurasian plant Filipendula ulmaria and, more broadly, shrubs of the genus Spiraea.

Where does meadowsweet grow?

It grows across the temperate Northern Hemisphere, commonly along riverbanks, hedgerows and damp meadows.

What is the meaning of meadowsweet?

"meadowsweet" (noun) means a Eurasian perennial plant of the rose family with clusters of small, fragrant creamy-white flowers, traditionally used to flavour mead.