aconite

[ ak-uh-nahyt ]

/ ˈæk əˌnaɪt /

noun

any plant belonging to the genus Aconitum, of the buttercup family, having irregular flowers usually in loose clusters, including species with poisonous and medicinal properties.

Nearby words

Also a·co·ni·tum

[ak-uh-nahy-tuh m] /ˌæk əˈnaɪ təm/.

Compare monkshood, wolfsbane.

Origin of aconite

1570–80; < Latin aconītum < Greek akónīton leopard's-bane, wolfsbane

Related formsac·o·nit·ic

[ak-uh-nit-ik] /ˌæk əˈnɪt ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for aconite

The poison cup of the ancients was probably a compound, of which hemlock and aconite were the chief ingredients.
Poison Romance and Poison Mysteries|C. J. S. Thompson
The active fever may be checked by 15 drops tincture of aconite every four hours or by one-third ounce of acetanilid.
Special Report on Diseases of Cattle|U.S. Department of Agriculture
The tap root of the aconite has been frequently eaten in mistake for horse-radish with fatal results.
Poison Romance and Poison Mysteries|C. J. S. Thompson
A fatal mistake is not very uncommonly made in eating the root of aconite for that of horseradish.
Memoranda on Poisons|Thomas Hawkes Tanner

Mortimer, a tablespoonful every half-hour will—Oh, the child needs belladonna, too; I know she does—and aconite.
Sketches New and Old, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

British Dictionary definitions for aconite

aconite

aconitum (ˌækəˈnaɪtəm)

/ (ˈækəˌnaɪt) /

noun

any of various N temperate plants of the ranunculaceous genus Aconitum, such as monkshood and wolfsbane, many of which are poisonousCompare winter aconite

the dried poisonous root of many of these plants, sometimes used as an antipyretic

Derived Formsaconitic (ˌækəˈnɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for aconite

C16: via Old French or Latin from Greek akoniton aconite, monkshood

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

Word Origin and History for aconite

aconite

poisonous plant (also known as monkshood and wolf's bane), 1570s, from French aconit, from Latin aconitum, from Greek akoniton, of unknown origin.

Medicine definitions for aconite

aconite

[ ăk′ə-nīt′ ]

n.

The dried leaves and roots of various herbs of the genus Aconitum, especially Aconitum napellus, containing aconitine. It is used externally as an analgesic and was formerly used internally as a sedative.monkshood