helleborin

American

[he-leb-uh-rin, hel-uh-bawr-in, -bohr-] / hɛˈlɛb ə rɪn, ˈhɛl əˌbɔr ɪn, -ˌboʊr- /

noun

a colorless, crystalline, water-insoluble, poisonous solid, C 28 H 36 O 6 , obtained from the rhizome and root of certain hellebores, and used in medicine chiefly as a purgative.

Etymology

Origin of helleborin

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

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.

Both helleborin and hellebore�n act poisonously on animals, but their decomposition-products helleboresin and helleboretin seem to be devoid of any injurious qualities.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 2 "Hearing" to "Helmond" by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023