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mandrake

 - 5 dictionary results

man⋅drake

  [man-dreyk, -drik]
Use mandrake in a Sentence
–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 man 1 + drake 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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man·drake   (mān'drāk')   
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.

  2. See May apple.


[Middle English, alteration (influenced by drake, dragon) of mandragora, from Old English, from Latin mandragorās, from Greek.]
May apple  
n.   In both senses also called mandrake.

  1. 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.

  2. The fruit of this plant.

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

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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: man·drake
Pronunciation: 'man-"drAk
Function: noun
1 a : a Mediterranean solanaceous herb of the genus Mandragora (M.officinarum) that has ovate leaves, whitish or purple flowers followed by globose yellow fruits which were formerly supposed to have aphrodisiac properties, and a large forked root which has beencredited with human attributes and made the subject of many superstitions b (1) : the root of this plant that contains hyoscyamine and was formerly used especially to promoteconception, as a cathartic, or as a narcotic and soporific (2) : a solution of mandrake root (as in wine) formerly used as a narcotic
2 a : any of several plants other thanthe mandrake; especially : MAYAPPLE b : PODOPHYLLUM 2
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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