- any composite herb or low shrub of the genus Artemisia.
- a bitter, aromatic plant, A. absinthium, of the Old World, used as a vermifuge and a tonic, and as an ingredient in absinthe.
- something bitter, grievous, or extremely unpleasant.
- any of various plants of the chiefly N temperate genus Artemisia, esp A. absinthium, a European plant yielding a bitter extract used in making absinthe: family Asteraceae (composites)
- something that embitters, such as a painful experience
