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belladonna

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bel⋅la⋅don⋅na

  [bel-uh-don-uh]
Use belladonna in a Sentence
–noun
1. Also called deadly nightshade. a poisonous plant, Atropa belladonna, of the nightshade family, having purplish-red flowers and black berries.
2. Pharmacology. a drug from the leaves and root of this plant, containing atropine and related alkaloids: used in medicine to check secretions and spasms, to relieve pain or dizziness, and as a cardiac and respiratory stimulant.
Origin:
1590–1600; < It bella donna lit., fair lady (so called because it is said to have been used by women to dilate the pupils of the eyes and to create an artificial pallor). See belle, donna
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bel·la·don·na   (běl'ə-dŏn'ə)   
n.  

  1. A poisonous Eurasian perennial herb (Atropa belladonna) having usually solitary, nodding, purplish-brown, bell-shaped flowers and glossy black berries. Also called deadly nightshade.

  2. An alkaloidal extract or tincture derived from this plant and used in medicine.


[Italian : bella, feminine of bello, beautiful (from Latin bellus; see deu-2 in Indo-European roots) + donna, lady; see Donna.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

belladonna 
1597, "deadly nightshade" (Atropa belladonna), from It., lit. "fair lady," supposedly because women made cosmetics from its juice (it has a well-known property of making the pupils of the eyes enlarge) or because it was used to poison beautiful women.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: bel·la·don·na
Pronunciation: "bel-&-'dän-&
Function: noun
1 : an Old World poisonous plant of the genusAtropa (A. belladonna) having purple or green bell-shaped flowers, glossy black berries, and a root and leaves that yield atropine called also deadly nightshade
2 : a medicinal preparation (as atropine) extracted from the belladonna plant and containing anticholinergic alkaloids
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

belladonna bel·la·don·na (běl'ə-dŏn'ə)
n.

  1. A poisonous Eurasian perennial herb having usually solitary, purplish-brown, bell-shaped flowers and glossy black berries. Also called deadly nightshade.

  2. An alkaloidal extract or tincture derived from this plant.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
belladonna   (běl'ə-dŏn'ə)  Pronunciation Key 
A preparation of the dried leaves or roots of deadly nightshade or related plants in the genus Belladonna, once used as a medicine. Belladonna contains several alkaloids that affect the nervous system by blocking the effects of acetylcholine.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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