white hellebore

[ hwahyt-hel-uh-bawr, wahyt ]

noun
  1. a false hellebore, Veratrum album, with clusters of white flowers, native to Europe and western Asia: now rarely used in medicine, its alkaloids were once used in a number of treatments, as for high blood pressure, but accidental poisoning is due mostly to the plant’s resemblance to an ingestible European gentian.

Origin of white hellebore

1
First recorded in 1400–50
  • Also called Eu·ro·pe·an white hel·le·bore.

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