colchicum

American  

[kol-chi-kuhm, kol-ki-] / ˈkɒl tʃɪ kəm, ˈkɒl kɪ- /

noun

1. any Old World plant of the genus Colchicum, of the lily family, especially the autumn crocus, C. autumnale.

2. the dried seeds or corms of this plant.

3. Pharmacology. a medicine or drug prepared from them, used in medicine chiefly in the treatment of gout.

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colchicum British  

/ ˈkɒltʃɪkəm, ˈkɒlkɪ- /

noun

1. any Eurasian liliaceous plant of the genus Colchicum, such as the autumn crocus

2. the dried seeds or corms of the autumn crocus: a source of colchicine

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Etymology

Origin of colchicum

1590–1600; < New Latin, Latin < Greek kolchikón meadow saffron, noun use of neuter of Kolchikós of Colchis, apparently by association with Medea, the plant being considered poisonous

Example Sentences

On the second day diuretics may be resorted to, such as saltpeter one-half ounce, and powdered colchicum, one-half dram, to be repeated twice daily.

From Special Report on Diseases of the Horse by Michener, Charles B.

Give me my colchicum; no, the other bottle,—that small phial.

From One Of Them by Lever, Charles James

That shocking thing that drives people mad colocynth, or colchicum, or something like that.

From The Daltons, Volume I (of II) Or,Three Roads In Life by Lever, Charles James

I had Hudson to dinner on Monday, and we laughed ourselves into the gout, and had to finish the evening with hot flannels and colchicum.

From Charles Lever, His Life in His Letters, Vol. II by Downey, Edmund

Bruno stood by, and let the innocent pageant pass, with its gold of autumn foliage and its purples of crocus-like colchicum.

From Wisdom, Wit, and Pathos of Ouida Selected from the Works of Ouida by Ouida