helleborein

American  

[hel-uh-bawr-ee-in, -bohr-] / ˌhɛl əˈbɔr i ɪn, -ˈboʊr- /

noun

Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a yellow, crystalline, water-soluble, poisonous solid, C 37 H 56 O 18 , obtained from the rhizome and root of certain hellebores of the genus Helleborus, especially the Christmas rose, and formerly used in medicine chiefly as a heart stimulant.

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Etymology

Origin of helleborein

First recorded in 1870–75; hellebore + -in ²