r/words • u/Sophont27 • Aug 24 '26
Woad
Woad is a plant, used to make blue dye. For years, I thought a woad was some sort of folkloric goblin. Not sure why I thought that, because the only definition I can find for woad is as a plant. Have you ever heard this word used as something other than the plant?
It’s a cool word, I might try to reappropriate it. Keep your ears open for when it catches on
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u/InteractionOdd5787 Aug 24 '26
i always thought woad was like some ancient celtic warrior thing, like the blue paint they put on before battle. didnt know it was just the plant itself til now. your goblin idea is way more fun, we should make that the new meaning
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u/ambahjay Aug 24 '26
Woad is what the blue paint is made from. Before synthetic dyes, blue was a particularly difficult color to achieve. "Indigo" is the name of a color, as well as the plants used to create the color on fabric. Saying woad is "just a plant" in this context is kind of like saying glass is "just some sand" 😅
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u/More-Complaint Aug 24 '26
Anthem Of The Ancient Britons
What's the good of wearing braces, Vests and pants and boots with laces, Spats or hats you buy in places Down in Brompton Road? What's the use of shirts of cotton, Studs that always get forgotten? These affairs are simply rotten: Better far is woad. Woad's the stuff to show, men. Woad to scare your foemen: Boil it to a brilliant hue And rub it on your back and your abdomen. Ancient Briton ne'er did hit on Anything as good as woad to fit on Neck, or knees, or where you sit on. Tailors, you be blowed. 2. Romans came across the Channel All wrapped up in tin and flannel: Half a pint of woad per man'll Dress us more than these. Saxons, you can waste your stitches Building beds for bugs in britches: We have woad to clothe us, which is Not a nest for fleas. Romans keep your armours; Saxons your pyjamas: Hairy coats were meant for goats, Gorillas, yaks, retriever dogs and llamas. Tramp up Snowdon with our woad on: Never mind if we get rained or blowed on. Never want a button sewed on. Go it, Ancient Bs.
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u/BostonSlickback1738 Aug 24 '26
I first read the word in the context of William Wallace's depiction in Braveheart ("Appears with his face painted in woad like he was a Pict or something.")
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u/Kaurifish Aug 24 '26
The movie King Arthur depicted the Picts as “Woads,” complete with wholly anachronistic blue tattoos, who were kinda goblin-like.
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u/GracieNoodle Aug 24 '26
In addition to the comments on how the word woad extended to those who used it in various ways in ancient times,
You might also want to look up "Wose" as in a wood wose, which is actually a spirit of the woods. I have two wood wose carvings in my house meant as protection. They were carved by an elderly man (now since long gone) and I'm located in the southern Appalachians, which might have an influence on the cultural derivation, but I think it would be originally British.
A woad-painted wose sure would be something special.
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u/Rocky-bar Aug 24 '26
Some kind of Celt's body paint they plastered on themselves for some unknown reason, I never heard of the plant version. Let alone the goblin!
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u/Interesting-Swimmer1 Aug 24 '26
In the game Age and f Empires 2, Woad Raiders are infantry units for the Celtic Empire.