Broomweed

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A herbaceous plant native to dry areas that bears yellow flowers
2. This plant, part of the composite family, thrives in arid climates and exhibits remarkable drought resistance
3. A plant known for growing in dry regions with small yellow blossoms and a hardy nature

Etymology: Broomweed is a plain compound: "broom" for the shrubby plant whose twigs were once bound into brooms, joined to "weed," a term for any wild plant growing where it is not wanted. Put together, the name describes a hardy, unruly plant that thrives where the cultivated ones would struggle. The "broom" in the name is not the same plant as the household sweeping tool, though the two share a history. The word "broom" goes back to Old English "brōm," which named the flowering shrub, and the sweeping implement took the name because its bundled twigs were often made from that same plant. So the older sense is the shrub, and the household object is the later borrowing of its name.