colchicum
Americannoun
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any Old World plant of the genus Colchicum, of the lily family, especially the autumn crocus, C. autumnale.
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the dried seeds or corms of this plant.
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Pharmacology. a medicine or drug prepared from them, used in medicine chiefly in the treatment of gout.
noun
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any Eurasian liliaceous plant of the genus Colchicum, such as the autumn crocus
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the dried seeds or corms of the autumn crocus: a source of colchicine
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
Give me my colchicum; no, the other bottle,—that small phial.
From One Of Them by Lever, Charles James
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.
Some cases, like rheumatism, are benefited by 1-scruple doses of powdered colchicum and 2-dram doses of salicylate of soda twice a day.
From Special Report on Diseases of the Horse by Michener, Charles B.
These assertions, and the total inadequacy of the pharmacology of colchicum, as above detailed, to explain its specific therapeutic property, show that the secret of colchicum is as yet undiscovered.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6 "Cockaigne" to "Columbus, Christopher" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
