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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

man·drake

Audio Help [man-dreyk, -drik] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	a narcotic, short-stemmed European plant, Mandragora officinarum, of the nightshade family, having a fleshy, often forked root somewhat resembling a human form.

2.	the May apple.

[Origin: 1275–1325; ME, var. of mandrage (short for mandragora), taken by folk etymology as man¹ + drake²

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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mandrake

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

man·drake Audio Help (mān'drāk') Pronunciation Key
n.

1. A southern European plant (Mandragora officinarum) having greenish-yellow flowers and a branched root. This plant was once believed to have magical powers because its root resembles the human body.
2. The root of this plant, which contains the poisonous alkaloid hyoscyamine. Also called mandragora.
See May apple.

[Middle English, alteration (influenced by drake, dragon) of mandragora, from Old English, from Latin mandragorās, from Greek.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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May apple
n. In both senses also called mandrake.

A rhizomatous plant (Podophyllum peltatum) of eastern North America, having a single, nodding white flower and oval yellow fruit. Although the pulp of the ripe fruit is edible, the roots, leaves, and seeds of the plant are poisonous.
The fruit of this plant.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
mandrake

c.1150, from M.L. mandragora, from L. mandragoras, from Gk. mandragoras, probably from a non-I.E. word. Folk etymology associated the second element with dragoun and substituted native drake in its place. The forked root is thought to resemble a human form and is said to shriek when pulled from the ground.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

mandrake
noun
1.	the root of the mandrake plant; used medicinally or as a narcotic [syn: mandrake root]
2.	a plant of southern Europe and North Africa having purple flowers, yellow fruits and a forked root formerly thought to have magical powers