water hemlock

noun

any of several poisonous plants belonging to the genus Cicuta, of the parsley family, as C. virosa of Europe, and C. maculata of North America, growing in swamps and marshy places.

Origin of water hemlock

First recorded in 1755–65

Words Nearby water hemlock

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use water hemlock in a sentence

Among them were a species of prune, the water-hemlock, and the strawberry.
The History of Sumatra | William Marsden
The earliest treatise on poisoning by the water-hemlock is by Wepfer.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection | Alexander Wynter Blyth
Our water hemlock is equally poisonous, and much more common.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 829, November 21, 1891 | Various
The water hemlock (Cicuta virosa) produces symptoms not unlike those of hemlock; it has been mistaken for parsnip and celery.
Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology | W. G. Aitchison Robertson
Percy, the future artist known as Charles, was born in England and died at the Glen from eating water hemlock.
Baraboo, Dells, and Devil's Lake Region | H. E. Cole

British Dictionary definitions for water hemlock

water hemlock

noun

another name for cowbane (def. 1)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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