henbane
/ˈhɛnbeɪn/ noun
Forms henbanes
- noun Any member of the species Hyoscyamus niger of poisonous plants, used sometimes as a drug that causes at least hallucinations, dilated pupils, restlessness, and flushed skin.
- noun Any other plant of the genus Hyoscyamus.
Synonyms
black henbane hog's bane hog's bean stinking nightshade hyoscyamus Hyoscyamus niger
Etymology
From Middle English henbane, hennebane ( > French hanebane), equivalent to hen + bane. Cognate with Danish hønsebane, Swedish hönsbane. Compare also Old English hennebelle (“henbane”, literally “hen-bell”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A plant of the genus Hyoscyamus (H. niger). All parts of the plant are poisonous, and the leaves are used for the same purposes as belladonna. It is poisonous to domestic fowls; whence the name.
Etymology [Hen + bane.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “henbane”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details