[hem-lok] 
| 1. | a poisonous plant, Conium maculatum, of the parsley family, having purple-spotted stems, finely divided leaves, and umbels of small white flowers, used medicinally as a powerful sedative. |
| 2. | a poisonous drink made from this plant. |
| 3. | any of various other plants, esp. of the genus Cicuta, as the water hemlock. |
| 4. | Also called hemlock spruce. any of several coniferous trees of the genus Tsuga, native to the U.S., characterized by a pyramidal manner of growth. Compare eastern hemlock, western hemlock. |
| 5. | the soft, light wood of a hemlock tree, used in making paper, in the construction of buildings, etc. |
