Belladonna
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˌbɛləˈdɑnə/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Belladonna is a noun meaning A plant, Atropa belladonna, having purple bell-shaped flowers and poisonous black glossy berries.
Meaning
A plant, Atropa belladonna, having purple bell-shaped flowers and poisonous black glossy berries.
More Meanings
- An alkaloid extracted from this plant, sometimes used medicinally, containing atropine.
Example Sentences
Cathy teetered downstairs on very high heels, her hair swept up in a disintegrating “brioche”, her eyes glistening with belladonna drops.
Witches always anointed themselves with ointments before departing up the chimney to their Sabbaths. One such ointment was composed of Aconite, Belladonna, Water Parsley, Cinquefoil and Babies' Fat.
The elderly women who practiced herbalism and administered belladonna (a pain killer) to pregnant women were apt to be accused of witchcraft. The Medieval church was against the administration of belladonna because they believed women were meant to suffer pain in childbirth as a result of Eve's sin.
Word Forms
- belladonnas
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include nightshade, banewort, dwale, baneberry, bellflower, morel.
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Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.