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aconite
aconite , monkshood, or wolfsbane, any of several species of the genus Aconitum of the family Ranunculaceae ( buttercup family), hardy perennial plants of the north temperate zone, growing wild or cultivated for ornamental or medicinal purposes. They contain violent poisons that were recognized from early times and were mentioned by Shakespeare (2 King Henry IV, iv:4); more recently they have been used medicinally in a liniment, tincture, and drug, and in India on spears and arrows for hunting. The drug aconite, the active principle of which is the alkaloid aconitine, is used as a sedative, e.g., for neuralgia and rheumatism, and is obtained from A. napellus. Aconites are erect or trailing, with deeply cut leaves and, in late summer and fall, hooded showy flowers of blue, yellow, purple, or white. The name wolfsbane derives from an old superstition that the plant repelled werewolves. Winter aconite is a name for plants of the genus Eranthis, wild or garden perennials of the same family. Aconites are classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Ranunculales, family Ranunculaceae. |
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"aconite." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "aconite." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-aconite.html "aconite." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-aconite.html |
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aconite
ac·o·nite / ˈakəˌnīt/ • n. a poisonous plant (genus Aconitum) of the buttercup family, including monkshood. Native to temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, it bears hooded pink or purple flowers. ∎ an extract of such a plant, used as a poison or in medicinal preparations. |
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"aconite." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "aconite." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-aconite.html "aconite." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-aconite.html |
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aconite
aconite a poetic term for deadly poison, as in ‘Wine is Aconite to Men’ ( Abraham Cowley, Anacreontics, 1656). The term comes from the use of aconite to mean an alkaloidal extract from monkshood or other poisonous plant of the genus Aconitum.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "aconite." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "aconite." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-aconite.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "aconite." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-aconite.html |
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aconite
aconite poisonous plant Aconitum napellus. XVI. — F. aconit or L. aconītum — Gr. akónīton.
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T. F. HOAD. "aconite." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "aconite." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-aconite.html T. F. HOAD. "aconite." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-aconite.html |
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