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nightshade

 - 4 dictionary results

night⋅shade

  [nahyt-sheyd]
Use nightshade in a Sentence
–noun
1. any of various plants of the genus Solanum, esp. the black nightshade or the bittersweet.
2. any of various other related plants, as the deadly nightshade.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE nihtscada. See night, shade
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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night·shade   (nīt'shād')   
n.  

  1. Any of several plants of the genus Solanum, such as the bittersweet nightshade, most of which have a poisonous juice.

  2. Any of various similar or related plants, such as belladonna.


[Middle English, from Old English nihtscada : niht, night; see night + sceadu, shade.]
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

nightshade 
O.E. nihtscada, lit. "shade of night," perhaps in allusion to the poisonous berries. A common Gmc. compound, cf. Du. nachtschade, Ger. Nachtschatten.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: night·shade
Pronunciation: 'nIt-"shAd
Function: noun
1 : any plant of the genus Solanum (family Solanaceae, the nightshadefamily) which includes some poisonous weeds, various ornamental garden plants, and important crop plants (as the potato and eggplant)
2 : BELLADONNA 1
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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