rattlesnake root

noun

1. any of certain composite plants of the genus Prenanthes, whose roots or tubers have been regarded as a remedy for snake bites, as P. serpentaria or P. alba.
2. the root or tuber.
3. the snakeroot, Polygala senega.
4. its root.

Word History and Origins

Origin of rattlesnake root¹

First recorded in 1675–85

Example Sentences

This is a different thing from the Seneca rattlesnake-root; there's more cure in an ounce of this than in a pound of that.

From Project Gutenberg

Ten years earlier a vogue for rattlesnake root had been established, apparently by those interested in promoting it.

From Project Gutenberg