Most people are familiar with the name "Wormwood" from the following verses that are found in the Book of Revelation:
"And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter."
Revelation 8:10-11, KJV
The word "wormwood" is derived from the Greek word "apsinthos" in the New Testament, and from the Hebrew word "laanah" in the Old Testament. For an in-depth look at the possible meaning of the previous verses, please refer to Bill Kochman's article "
Comet Hale-Bopp, Chernobyl and the Deathstar Wormwood".