hemlock

[ hem-lok ]

noun
  1. a poisonous plant, Conium maculatum, of the parsley family, having purple-spotted stems, finely divided leaves, and umbels of small white flowers, used medicinally as a powerful sedative.

  2. a poisonous drink made from this plant.

  1. any of various other plants, especially of the genus Cicuta, as the water hemlock.

  2. Also called hemlock spruce . any of several coniferous trees of the genus Tsuga, native to the U.S., characterized by a pyramidal manner of growth.: Compare eastern hemlock, western hemlock.

  3. the soft, light wood of a hemlock tree, used in making paper, in the construction of buildings, etc.

Origin of hemlock

1
before 900; Middle English hemlok, humlok,Old English hymlic, hemlic; perhaps akin to Old English hymele hop plant

Words Nearby hemlock

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British Dictionary definitions for hemlock

hemlock

/ (ˈhɛmˌlɒk) /


noun
  1. an umbelliferous poisonous Eurasian plant, Conium maculatum, having finely divided leaves, spotted stems, and small white flowers: US name: poison hemlock See also water hemlock

  2. a poisonous drug derived from this plant

  1. Also called: hemlock spruce any coniferous tree of the genus Tsuga, of North America and E Asia, having short flat needles: family Pinaceae: See also western hemlock

  2. the wood of any of these trees, used for lumber and as a source of wood pulp

Origin of hemlock

1
Old English hymlic; perhaps related to hymele hop plant, Middle Low German homele, Old Norwegian humli, Old Slavonic chǔmelï

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