colchicum

[ kol-chi-kuhm, kol-ki- ]

/ ˈkɒl tʃɪ kəm, ˈkɒl kɪ- /

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noun

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

the dried seeds or corms of this plant.

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

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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

Words nearby colchicum

Colbert, colby, colcannon, Colchester, colchicine, colchicum, Colchis, colcothar, cold, cold-blooded, cold-blooded animals

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use colchicum in a sentence

All the preparations of colchicum are poisonous in large doses.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
This extract is given in the usual cases in which colchicum is employed.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
Some cause violent pain, as colchicum, hellebore, and aconite.
The Swiss Family Robinson|Johann David Wyss
She and it belonged to his first volume, and neither crocus nor colchicum had been added at the date of which I write.
Rest Harrow|Maurice Hewlett

A mixture of wine of colchicum, wine of opium, and tincture of saffron.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley

British Dictionary definitions for colchicum

colchicum

/ (ˈkɒltʃɪkəm, ˈkɒlkɪ-) /

noun

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

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

Word Origin for colchicum

C16: from Latin, from Greek kolkhikon, from kolkhikos of Colchis

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